Health break: Here are tips to help kids keep their masks on amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Dhaka, 5 August, 2020: We’re in the full swing of summer, which believe it or not means the new school year is now just around the corner. Though the course of the virus could alter plans, right now many schools plan to reopen with at least some in person operations. To help keep our community safe, it’s important that kids wear their masks when they go back to school.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children over the age of 2 who are able to remove a mask on their own wear a mask/cloth face covering when in public settings. This includes both indoor and outdoor locations and is especially important when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

Though there are rare instances of severe multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children linked to the novel coronavirus, in general children are not at as high a risk of illness from COVID-19. However, this sets them up to be potential “silent spreaders” of the disease, meaning they are asymptomatic, but infected and can pass the disease on to others who may become more severely ill. Evidence has linked children to disease spread so it is important children wear their masks, especially in a social setting like school, to help slow the transmission of COVID-19.

But wearing a mask can be confusing and scary for children. Here are some tips to make it easier for them to wear their masks.

Explain why it’s important. Be honest and put your explanation in terms they can understand. Share that wearing a mask is a way to stop germs from spreading. Tell them wearing a mask helps keep everyone safe and share that by wearing a mask, they are being a hero.

Help them get used to masks. Give kids time to practice wearing their mask around the house before they need to wear it in public. Teach them how to put them on and take them off properly. With a mask on both you and your child, look in a mirror and talk about them. Show your child pictures of other children wearing masks so they see they’re not alone.

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Posted by admin on Aug 5 2020. Filed under Health, Kids Page, News at Now. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry