Washington high school band practices in tents to prevent spread of COVID-19

High schools on the eastern side of Washington state have resumed in-person learning after COVID-19 swept across the state forcing remote learning, with one school in particular implementing extra safety precautions for students extra-curricular activities.

Wenatchee High School located in Wenatchee, WA is having students that participate in the school's band practice in pop up tents, providing each student with their own tent while also social distancing them six-feet apart.

The band also practices in shifts to help further prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Wenatchee High School sophomore Alison Chamberlain can be seen practicing the saxophone in a singular tent spaced out from fellow band mates as attention focuses on the conductor, the Wenatchee World reported.

Student Juan Cruz struggles to fit inside the enclosed space as he attempts to practice the sousaphone during Tuesday’s Wenatchee High School band practice.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), school-aged children and teens weather the virus particularly well, citing low-mortality rates and urging schools to reopen for in-person learning.

"There has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission," said top researchers with the CDC.

"In-person schooling is critical," said Thomas Skinner, a CDC spokesperson. "Kids need to be and should be in school for many reasons provided schools can strictly adhere to recommended guidelines." Skinner added that “Accumulating data now suggest a path forward” to resume in-person learning.

Principal Lance Noel of Eastmont High School, a high school in East Wenatchee, is ecstatic to resume in-person learning and said the social-emotional impact of being back in school has had a "massive impact" on students. "The stories I hear from them are dark. It’s disturbing and scary," Noell said. "The fact they are talking to me about that is significant."