ASK Us About: Cloth Masks for Children during the Pandemic of 2020
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Eric Frontera, PharmD
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we think about interacting with others, how we protect ourselves in public and in the use of cloth face masks as a way to minimize the spread of the virus.
Many questions remain on this last part; are they effective? How long after the peak of the viral spread should we use them for?
Truth be told these are good questions without perfect answers at this time. The Centers for Disease Control recommends the use of cloth masks when out in spaces where social distancing is difficult to achieve. While the World Health Organization recommends their use only if caring for a person infected with COVID-19 or if you are sneezing or coughing.
What about children, should they wear masks as well? Here is one thing we do know: Children under 2 SHOULD NOT wear cloth masks.
If your child is immunocompromised or any other medical condition talk to their pediatrician about the proper use of masks.
If your children are afraid of wearing a mask, healthychildren.org recommends to talk to them about it, design the mask with a favorite character of theirs design, and practice wearing it at home.
Here is a link that may answer more of your questions on children wearing masks: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/Cloth-Face-Coverings-for-Children-During-COVID-19.aspx
If you are interested in more general information about wearing masks go to:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html