IMSE’s Center on Stochastic Modeling, Optimization, & Statistics (COSMOS) has posted advice for schools and businesses that are hoping to reopen. The advice uses their key contact partitioning questionnaire and includes a reference to Pro Bono Analytics planning assistance offered by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). In the U.S., compliance with CDC guidance on social precautions has been inconsistent. Knowing which individuals are COVID-19 key contacts can enable schools, businesses, and other organizations to focus their efforts on protecting those that are at higher risk for severe illness. The majority of children and younger adults will be low-risk themselves, but the challenge of the novel coronavirus is pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic spread, so it must be conservatively assumed that low-risk individuals can spread the virus without knowing it. The U.S. does not have sufficient COVID-19 testing to mitigate this spread. By specifically adhering to protective precautions around key contact individuals, the population at higher risk can be protected, reducing cases of severe illness and ultimately controlling the fatality rate. Further, the COSMOS key contact partitioning approach does not rely on total compliance by the broader U.S. population.
Check out the COSMOS COVID-19 project page: https://cosmos.uta.edu/projects/covid-19/.
Reopening is possible with careful planning and commitment. For example, COSMOS Director Victoria Chen has been impressed with the reopening by Texas Dreams Gymnastics, where her sons are competitive gymnasts on the boys’ team. Texas Dreams is owned by World Champion Kim Zmeskal and her husband Chris Burdette. The boys’ coaching team is led by Japanese Olympian Norimasa Iwai and includes NCAA Pommel Horse Champion Michael Reid. The coaches and any spectators wear masks, temperature checks are conducted at the door, and everyone is instructed to maintain social distancing, with the measurement help of 6-foot tall coach Alex Wright. Team practice sessions are carefully scheduled in small groups that rotate through the facility and are supplemented by online training sessions at home. Each gymnast has their own chalk and hand sanitizer, which they use between turns on equipment. The equipment is also cleaned between rotations. When not on the gym floor, such as entering and departing the gym, everyone is required to wear a mask. Dr. Chen’s sons and coaches Michael, Alex, and Kim can be seen wearing masks in the photos. Currently, the gym is occupied from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM to maintain low occupancy levels, but when school begins, practices will need to be outside of school hours, potentially increasing occupancy levels. COSMOS reopening advice has been shared with Texas Dreams, as they re-organize their schedule for the school year.
Thank you for sharing this. Great pictures.