Amid COVID-19, many SC schools press on with in-person graduation. But is that safe?

As South Carolina continues to reopen many activities amid the coronavirus pandemic, many of its schools are preparing to hold in-person graduation for seniors.

Some institutions, such as the University of South Carolina, have canceled in-person graduation, citing uncertainty it could keep attendees safe. But some Midlands school districts are going forward with altered in-person graduations, complete with masks, social distancing and more precautions.

But to gather any large amount of people right now is to walk a high tightrope, experts say. Recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show just how widely the virus can spread at medium-to-large community gatherings.

For example, after a 61-person choir practice in Washington state, between 53% and 87% of participants became sick with COVID-19, according to the CDC. Health officials believe only one of those attendees was showing symptoms at the time of the practice.

In rural Arkansas, a couple confirmed to have COVID-19 is believed to have spread the virus to 38% of a church’s 92 total attendees over just a couple days of events, according to the CDC. That situation resulted in three deaths.

These events, termed “superspreading events,” are exactly what public health officials are trying to avoid while hundreds gather for high school graduations. To do this, school districts are limiting the number of guests, live-streaming commencement, conducting ceremonies outdoors instead of indoors, decreasing the number of students graduating at each ceremony and having determined entrances and exits.

But there is still a risk, especially if people don’t follow safety procedures, experts say.

“It’s risky,” said Michael Sweat, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. “Those procedures sound pretty good to me, but when you get a large crowd, it’s hard to control.”

That’s part of the reason many high schools throughout the country have been doing virtual or drive-thru graduation ceremonies.

Schools in Lexington and Richland counties are taking different approaches to minimize the spread of COVID-19 during graduation. Some districts, such as Richland 1, Richland 2 and Lexington 1, will hold in-person ceremonies and limit to two the number of guests each senior can bring. Lexington-Richland 5 will allow seniors to bring four guests to in-person graduations.

Lexington 2 is having a virtual commencement. Seniors have booked times to visit graduation stages set up on their high schools’ football fields and have their pictures professionally taken. Their commencements will be live-streamed.

One of the larger issues right now is that people are reintegrating into society but not socially distancing, wearing masks or taking other recommended precautions against spreading the virus.

“I think there’s just this mindset that everything is okay,” Sweat said.

“Given all this opening up, I think there’s a real chance of outbreaks,” he said, adding that the coronavirus is “incredibly infectious.”

Linda Bell, an epidemiologist for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said earlier this month that graduation ceremonies are no different than other large gatherings, and she stressed the importance of following safety guidelines. But Bell has also expressed concern that too few people in general are heeding recommendations about wearing face masks in public.

“When we make guidance about the size of groups that should convene, it is most important to pay attention to the social distancing. And now we’re saying about 10 feet between people, especially if you’re going to be convened for a longer period of time,” Bell said during a recent press conference. “We continue to recommend the use of masks in public places. For graduation ceremonies, we’re also making additional recommendations about ingress and egress, limiting the number of family members who can be invited.”

In a live Q&A with The State, S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said she was confident graduation ceremonies could be safe so long as people follow safety precautions.

“I believe they will be held in a proper way, and I’m very excited for our students that we can do that,” Spearman said. “So I feel like they will be safe as long as people practice common sense and do what they’ve been asked to do.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Amid COVID-19, many SC schools press on with in-person graduation. But is that safe?."