Rotations of schoolchildren were considered as a non-pharmacological intervention in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the impact of different rotation and testing schedules.We built an agent-based model of interactions among pupils and teachers based on a survey in an elementary school in Prague, Czechia. This model contains 624 schoolchildren and 55 teachers and about 27 thousands social contacts in 10 layers. The layers reflect different types of contacts (classroom, cafeteria, etc.) in the survey. On this multi-graph structure we run a modified SEIR model of covid-19 infection. The parameters of the model are calibrated on data from the outbreak in the Czech Republic in spring 2020. Weekly rotations of in-class and distance learning are an effective preventative measure in schools reducing the spread of covid-19 by 75-81% . Antigen testing twice a week or PCR once a week significantly reduces infections even when using tests with a lower sensitivity. The structure of social contacts between pupils and teachers strongly influences the transmission. While the density of contact graphs for older pupils is 1.5 times higher than for younger pupils, the teachers' network is an order of magnitude denser. Teachers moreover act as bridges between groups of children, responsible for 14-18% of infections in the secondary school compared to 8-11% in the primary school. Weekly rotations with regular testing are a highly effective non-pharmacological intervention for the prevention of covid-19 spread in schools and a way to keep schools open during an epidemic.

Centre for Modelling of Biological and Social Processes Na Břehu 497 15 190 00 Praha 9 Czech Republic

CERGE EI Politických vězňů 7 11121 Praha 1 Czech Republic

Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Ruská 87 100 00 Praha 10 Czech Republic

Department of Criminology and Mitchell Centre for Social Network Analysis School of Social Sciences University of Manchester Oxford Rd Manchester UK

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Charles University Ke Karlovu 2027 3 121 16 Praha 2 Czech Republic

Institute of Computer Science The Czech Academy of Sciences Pod Vodárenskou věží 2 18200 Praha 8 Czech Republic

Institute of Information Theory and Automation The Czech Academy of Sciences Pod Vodárenskou věží 4 18200 Praha 8 Czech Republic

New Media Studies Faculty of Arts Charles University Na Příkopě 29 110 00 Praha 1 Czech Republic

PAQ Research 28 pluku 458 7 101 00 Praha 10 Czech Republic

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