kids back into the classroom. the cdc is advising 3 feet of distancing instead of 6 feet for most students as long as masks and other measures are in place and depending on the community rates. joining me, andy slavitt who heads the covid response team. many states regardless are relaxing restrictions as cnn s alex alexandra field reports. k to 12 schools that operate safety can open. reporter: if even is masked, just 3 feet of students down from 6. the bottom line is there never was very good evidence for doing it alt 6 feet, not if kids are masked up. reporter: it s not clear how soon schools will implement changes as one said they ll, quote, reserve judgment. the push across the country accelerating as the new covid-19 cases hold steady. fewer than 55,000 new cases daily. still, alabama is one of the latest states moving ahead with plans to eliminate a mask mandate. the actual legal krgs of making it a mandate or not, you know, is not up to me, but we, you know,