Just been emailed by school - kids to wear masks for drop off

[IsoscelesSandwich]

just received an email from son's primary school asking that kids wear masks for drop off at school. What is the point of this!? I can understand for adults, but why kids? We're all outdoors, tiny village school so no big groups anyway, all drop offs are staggered by year group. Seems just a bit tokenistic and would be the first time my 5 year old would have to wear one. Is it pointless!?

No, it’s not pointless. As Asda would say, every little helps.

Wow, is this is England? - just because I thought our rules on masks were still only from 11 years?

I don’t own any masks for my children.

It seems pointless to me, but it depends what other measures they’re making children adhere to in school time.

Are you in the UK?

just wanted to post. saw some childrens masks in ASDA today. imagine they are cheap.

Yes we're in England. The email asks that all children year 1 - year 6 wear them. Our county has had one of the lowest infection rates throughout, I just can't see the sense of this. I'm not hugely bothered by it, but I can't help but feel that this is just "hygeine theatre".

No, it’s not pointless. it would be interesting to know what could possibly not be pointless about very young children, who we know transmit the virus on a much smaller scale to adults anyway, wearing masks outside within a group of children when they will be spending time with that same group inside, not wearing masks 10 minutes later?

I trust the school has proper disposal methods for an entire school's with of masks, every day, plus will ensure the children wash their hands/sanitise after removing the masks, BEFORE touching anything else?

@PotteringAlong that's the Tesco slogan...

The fact is that the information on this virus is changing all the time, that includes how and who are carriers.
It is better to be proactive than not.
Sorry but making your life easier does not trump everyone else health.

Maybe email and ask them to help you understand the reasoning? Or ask if it's a typo and they meant parents to wear masks (still pointless but slightly more understandable). Because yes, asking kids outside to wear masks that they then don't wear all day together inside, is batshit.

I thought masks weren't recommended for children for the very sensible reason that they are unlikely to wear them safely & masks worn unsafely (lots of fiddling, touching, pulling on & off) actually increase infection risks?

@cheeseandwin5 it's got nothing to do with making my life easier, rather that it doesn't seem at all logical. To take the stance of "better proactive than not" whether it defies logic or not - where do you draw the line? If we all took "better proactive than not" as a guiding principle, should we even be leaving our houses at all? You can't throw all reason out the window in the name of precaution.

"As Asda would say, every little helps."

They are more likely to say "that's Asda price"

It’s to protect children outside of your child’s bubble.

Quite logical if the school are doing bubbles, child removes mask when in their bubble and uses mask when outside their bubble in school time.

In scotland its only secondary school age children that need to wear masks at school plus under 12s don't need to socially distance when they play together.

Agreed OP , and as Somewhere said, a badly worn mask is worse than none at all. I do wonder about the ability to exercise critical thinking this pandemic has shown up in some of us.

It's not to protect children in other bubbles - the OP says they're doing staggered drop off, so bubbles wont be mixing. Also see above re badly worn ppe is worse than none.

I would not be happy about this if dd2's junior school say the same thing. Its 11 and over for public transport and shops etc for a reason!

I’m surprised that a village primary in England is asking you to do this, it’s not required of them. I’d challenge it and ask why they’ve come to this decision against government guidelines tbh, there‘s a reason that 4-11 year olds aren’t expected to wear masks.

@doris9034 it’s obviously not as effective as they would like then

Just to make sure I'm not going mad, I've double checked the most relevant and recent Government guidance about this and it says: "Primary school children will not need to wear a face covering." and a paragraph later: "In primary schools where social distancing is not possible in areas outside of classrooms between members of staff or visitors, for example in staffrooms, headteachers will have the discretion to decide whether to ask staff or visitors to wear, or agree to them wearing face coverings in these circumstances."
I don't want to beleaguer the poor lady on reception with this question who is not doubt fielding numerous emails today. I think instead tomorrow morning I'll take him to school without a mask (no mask for him, but I'll wear one). With any luck they're not taking this too seriously. I'll let you know if they do though. I feel like I want to make a mini stand against the overzealousness of it. This could be a really daft hill to die on.

@IsoscelesSandwich

*'rather that it doesn't seem at all logical. To take the stance of "better proactive than not" whether it defies logic or not - where do you draw the line? If we all took "better proactive than not" as a guiding principle, should we even be leaving our houses at all? You can't throw all reason out the window in the name of precaution.'

Sorry don't agree with your argument, the two things are not related at all.
Staying home would cause more stress on the country, economy and to the public in general. It would make matters worse with financial ruin and MH problems.
You are being asked to teach your kids to wear masks at certain times. How can this be a step to far when it may save countless lives?
As mentioned this a virus without a cure, that we are rushing to understand. We need to trust the doctors and scientists and follow their lead.

Doctors and scientists are not saying a child of 5 should wear a mask though. WHO says children over 12 should wear them

I wouldn't be happy. I would not be telling my primary ages DC to wear a mask. They don't even have one anyway

It's possible that there is a very vulnerable child or adult and it's for their protection.

It doesn't seem too big and ask in that case.