This week’s decision by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to require all students in the state to wear face coverings when school resumes in the fall is a no-brainer.

If students and teachers wear a mask at all times, the risk of passing or acquiring coronavirus is diminished by at least 95 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s universal masking order applies to adults and children, age 2 and older, in both public and private schools.

Beyond public and private schools, the PDE said, the order applies to career and technical centers, intermediate units, boarding schools and detention centers.

But other challenges — such as social distancing — must be addressed before schools should reopen.

- Educators need to devise a curriculum that is a hybrid of online and face-to-face education. Split students into two groups. All students have two days of in-person classes, during which they can see their teachers and peers, and two days of independent online study — time to read, write papers and work independently on projects.

A fifth weekday could be used for deep-cleaning the school, giving teachers and students a three-day weekend.

- As for lunch, it could be eaten in the classroom or outdoors. The cafeteria and library could be reserved as a study hall for students who don’t want to stay at home or don’t have internet access at home. Students need to be six feet apart in these areas as well.

- Designate space for a small infirmary where students can be isolated if they get sick.

Students who have a cough or feel ill should be evaluated by a school nurse. If there is a suspicion of COVID-19, that student should be isolated, sent home and re-evaluated for resolution of symptoms and fever upon their return to school. We should consider COVID-19 testing in the school.

- Create in-school “bubbles” of small groups of students who will learn, eat lunch and have recess together. Students and teachers in these groups will interact only with one another.

Bubbles may not be feasible in high schools, where students typically move from room to room, so there should be strict requirements for masks, class-size reduction and distances between desks.

- Get creative with transportation. Why practice social distancing in school and then crowd students together for a long bus ride home? School districts should consider car pools and van rides for children in their bubbles. Schools can also employ staggered start times to transport fewer children at once.