By Christina Williams
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The CDC guidelines recommend all students and adults ages two and older wear masks in schools, both to protect themselves and to limit the risk of transmission of Covid-19. But others, including some scientists, are calling for an easing or end to requiring face coverings in schools.
All throughout this country we’re having a mini-civil disagreement over masks and mandates and why we still have them. As mandates are being lifted around the country, masks on children in schools are being widely discussed. One of the reasons some schools are lifting restrictions is a decrease in attendance due to mask anxiety by the students.
Children are the least vulnerable to Covid and carry the lowest transmission rate to others. Studies show mask use in children lowers their oxygen levels and increases the risk of bacterial illness. Mask use in children raises their CO2 levels to as much as six times the acceptable level of an adult in a workplace.
It breaks every parent’s heart to send their children to school in a mask. Children are learning to talk and to read social cues through facial expressions. Human beings are visual creatures that like to see each other smile when we interact. Those visual cues help children learn.
Even if mandates are lifted, your individual decision should come down to what’s going on in your community, Covid-19 and vaccination rates, as well as what’s going on with your family. Does your child or someone in your household have an underlying health condition that puts them at a higher risk for severe Covid-19? No one is better suited to make decisions for your child than you.
Christina Williams is the Executive Director for the Pasquotank PAC. The Conservative organization meets on the SECOND and FOURTH Tuesdays at 7pm at Towne South Church at 2224 Peartree Road in Elizabeth City, NC. More information at www.pasquotankpac.com.