Washington, Jul 10 (IANS): The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidance urging schools to fully reopen in the fall regardless of whether all mitigation measures can be implemented.

"Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall of 2021 is a priority," said the new guidance issued on Friday.

Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports, Xinhua news agency quoted the CDC as saying.

The CDC recommended schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask-wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk.

"Covid-19 prevention strategies remain critical to protecting people, including students, teachers, and staff, who are not fully vaccinated, especially in areas of moderate-to-high community transmission levels," said the CDC.

Schools across the US started to close in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and many students were shifted to online learning at home.