The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges of evidence-based health policymaking, as critical precautionary decisions, such as school closures, had to be made urgently on the basis of little evidence. As primary and secondary schools once again close in the face of surging infections, there is an opportunity to rigorously study their reopening. School-aged children appear to be less affected by COVID-19 than adults, yet schools may drive community transmission of the virus. Given the impact of school closures on both education and the economy, schools cannot remain closed indefinitely. But when and how can they be reopened safely? We argue that a cluster randomized trial is a rigorous and ethical way to resolve these uncertainties. We discuss key scientific, ethical, and resource considerations both to inform trial design of school reopenings and to prompt discussion of the merits and feasibility of conducting such a trial.

中文翻译：

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面对 COVID-19 安全地重新开放学校：集群随机试验有帮助吗？

COVID-19 大流行凸显了循证卫生决策面临的挑战，因为必须在证据不足的情况下紧急做出关键的预防决定，例如关闭学校。随着中小学校在感染人数激增的情况下再次关闭，有机会认真研究他们的重新开学。学龄儿童似乎比成年人受 COVID-19 的影响要小，但学校可能会推动病毒的社区传播。鉴于学校停课对教育和经济的影响，学校不能无限期关闭。但是，它们何时以及如何安全地重新开放？我们认为，整群随机试验是解决这些不确定性的严格且合乎道德的方式。我们讨论关键的科学、伦理、