Kids wearing face masks to school

[itsgettingweird]

I work in a school and current guidance is staff and children do not need face masks except in situations you'd usually use PPE or signs of illness.

I've recently - like many - being spreading my wings and getting out and about more.

I've noticed that so it's children of all ages (even as young as 4/5) who seem to tolerate masks the best.

In town they seem to keep them on all the time and don't seem bothered. It's the adults who pull them to the chin or relive and hang off their wrist when out in Main Street.

I just think we are underestimating our children and it's just something they would adapt to and would reduce risks more and worth advising staff and kids wear even if it isn't compulsory?

It’s like usual the vocal minority who complain and have the loudest voice. In my local area, everyone including young kids have a mask on whilst shopping with parents. No one forced them to, but are happy to do so.

Exactly. To me there seems no reason to categorically state shouldn't.

Why not advise masks are worn and maybe - for now - leave it as optional.

It may make more parents feel comfortable about sending kids and more staff comfortable about returning

I think they should.

When the initial guidance about no masks came out, they were still only being voluntarily worn by maybe 25-40% of people in the supermarkets. They were something other countries were doing but hadn't officially been adopted as scientifically beneficial by the UK. Now they have been and children see almost everyone wearing them in most public indoor spaces.

Scientists now consider them beneficial to both the wearer and to those around the wearer.

Everyone has them so they wouldn't cause extra expense to schools.

There are now studies suggesting that under 5s spread Covid more effectively than adults and that 5-11s are just as efficient at spreading as adults. We already suspect that over 11s are the same as adults in this way.

I'd be much more comfortable about Sept if all children wore masks and all teachers wore either masks with transparent panels in or visors (I wouldn't want to teach in an opaque mask, I think the communication would be too difficult).

Of course children should wear masks in schools, they manage fine in other countries. My young children wear them , it took time with my dc with asd and sensory difficulties but they will wear one now with no issues.

Its rarely the children who have an issue, most of the time it's the parents perceiving a problem that isn't there.

I've seen loads of children of various ages wearing them happily and most play with/adjust them far less than adults. They just accept them and get on with things.

Children are far more versatile and resilient then they're often allowed to be.

I suspect after widespread school closures across September and October, the government will decide that masks do actually need to be worn in schools.

My 7 year old DD loves wearing her mask. I’d have no problem with them being mandatory in schools for pupils and teachers if it made it safer.

Given that Boris and his special science is about 4 months behind countries which have a) had mandatory mask wearing b) much lower rates of Covid now I expect they'll become part and parcel of school life in the UK too.
I agree about kids- by and large the little ones love it. They feel important and grown up. I know it's not about that, but having them act as a good example to all the tantrumming adults around makes a nice change.

I think it's a mix of kids doing better than some would expect and confirmation bias & sample, the kids who wouldn't probably aren't wearing masks and may be out less to be seen.

I do think it's possible face coverings will be required for kids in schools, and I hope face shields are an option for at least some kids to make it more accessible even if not the best option.

Our DD chose the design and is more than happy to wear it in shops and completely understands the need to.

I do think it's the parents that make it unnecessarily stressful for kids.

I don’t see the point really, masks are to stop the spread in places like shops and buses where you’re passing lots of different people and not spending long with them. Kids would have the take them off at snack time, to eat lunch, at playtime (you can’t exercise in a mask), and for pe, and they spend 6/7 hours a day together touching the same surfaces and breathing the same air. They would have to change masks several times over the course of a school day, especially children in wrap around childcare - masks aren’t effective for 10 hours in a row. Just seems a bit pointless. I’d also rather kids didn’t get into the habit of not seeing people’s faces - facial expression forms a big part of communication, and as the parent of a child who really struggles with social queues, he will struggle a lot if he can’t see people’s faces

Pure common sense to maximise all Covid mitigation measures including masks/face coverings. Not sure about very babies and infants as many lower Covid fatalities nations tend to have little hats with shields for the little ones. A necessary safety measure until we can all beat this virus together.

Anything else is just prolonging the pandemic.

kungfu so you wear a mask when briefly passing someone at a distance in a shop to prevent transmission but not when spending an hour with someone in close contact?

I don't mind the idea of wearing them at school but I'm concerned they just wouldn't use them properly. I wonder when incorrect use cancels out the benefits of mask wearing, if that makes sense.
It's one thing to wear them for a few hours round the shops, but what about everytime they want to eat or drink something, how many will handle them correctly? As they'll become damp after a certain time, will they need more masks during the day?

I was open minded on masks for young children and would like to see actual scientific proof they reduce risk BUT I took my two daughters shopping to homebase. My eldest is 11 so she and I HAD to wear one - to be like us my 6 year old said she wanted one on too. We walked around the shop and I watched her pull it about, up and down, at one point she was moving it up and down like a beak on a bird. There is no way whatsoever it would be of any benefit when they cannot leave them alone, and could conversely do more harm than good in young children.

Not sure about very babies and infants as many lower Covid fatalities nations tend to have little hats with shields for the little ones.

With the strictest mask rules, it's considered safer for infants (those under 2) or anyone who cannot remove the mask by themselves to not wear one. Some of the latter group can wear face shields and should if they can remove them by themselves.

My youngest has one of those hats that he's very happy with (he's under the required age but like others, feels more grown up to have something like the rest of us). My teens are fine with their masks. DD2 is inbetween, she has a mask for short trips to the shops, but she's prone to skin inflammation and painful (sometimes bloody) cracking around her mouth which masks make worse so for anything more than 15 minutes, she has a hat with shield too. I worry about her when it comes to school.

@MoreW1ne no need for the sarcastic face 🙄

That is exactly right yes - the longer you spend with someone the less effective a mask is. If a mask stops say 80% of virus particles in each breath you breathe out (80% is made up by the way, don’t know the real number), that means 20% of the virus particles are escaping that mask. If you are passing someone in the shop, that 80% has a good chance of being enough to stop transmission. If you’re sitting 1m away from someone on a sofa from 3 hours, the 20% that is escaping your mask is going to increase the risk so much that the mask is pretty pointless. This is why they haven’t said people should wear masks in offices - they’re just not effective for long periods of time.

Kungfu sorry wasnt meant to come across sarcastic, just genuinely curious of the viewpoint.

Many parents on here seem so pissed off with schools closures, demanding them open above all else but dont seem keen on putting any measures in place that might help keep them open longer into winter.

None of us obviously know what will happen, however if cases continue to rise as they are I feel some parents are going to be very disappointed and probably struggling a lot when local schools close (if nothing else then due to the same staff shortages that effectively closed many in March).

I just cant help feeling at that time we might look back and regret not taking a more measured approach to the full time for all ramming approach, with the (basically) lack of safety measures there currently are.

@MoreW1ne sorry lol misunderstood your face!

I have found the opposite where I am, people are outraged that they’re opening schools and posting regular ‘I’m not sending mine back until it’s 100% safe’ posts on Facebook (it’s never 100% safe!!!), while also updating us with pictures of their children having bbqs with numerous other families, or at garden birthday parties or getting the bus to the beach 🤦‍♀️

I think that having children in bubbles is all that can reasonably be done, and honestly all that probably needs to be done - my children have been at school throughout 3 days a week while I’ve worked. They’ve had separate playground spaces and have eaten lunch in their classroom, which they’ll carry on with in September. I just don’t think masks will help, especially given the research that shows children aren’t very good at spreading it - I think schools are probably the least of our worries in terms of increasing the spread.

It’s a little bit different some children wearing them at the shops for an hour than children wearing them for over 6 hours a day!

It makes me so sad to think of my children at school all day without seeing each others smiles or expressions.

Also all the evidence shows that masks are not effective if they are worn for prolonged periods of time around the same people and that’s without the children fiddling with them constantly!

[quote Kungfupanda67]@MoreW1ne sorry lol misunderstood your face!

I have found the opposite where I am, people are outraged that they’re opening schools and posting regular ‘I’m not sending mine back until it’s 100% safe’ posts on Facebook (it’s never 100% safe!!!), while also updating us with pictures of their children having bbqs with numerous other families, or at garden birthday parties or getting the bus to the beach 🤦‍♀️

I think that having children in bubbles is all that can reasonably be done, and honestly all that probably needs to be done - my children have been at school throughout 3 days a week while I’ve worked. They’ve had separate playground spaces and have eaten lunch in their classroom, which they’ll carry on with in September. I just don’t think masks will help, especially given the research that shows children aren’t very good at spreading it - I think schools are probably the least of our worries in terms of increasing the spread.[/quote]
But there are going to be no bubbles. The whole school back means there won't be space for what they were doing in June.

kungfu Agree with that! Whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion, those who refuse to send children back yet are continuing to socialise themselves so openly in close proximity do baffle me at times.

I assume from your description you're more thinking primary, in which case yes I do largely feel that will be sufficient so long as they proactively close the bubbles (although I wouldn't claim to be an expert on primary setting). I'm responsible for 14-16 though and the measures here are pretty poor in my opinion. I feel that schools in some areas may be yo-yoing a little over winter which could potentially be worse for their learning than a planned reduced teaching time or other measures (incl. masks). We will see in time I guess.

@Morfin there will be bubbles of 30, or of year groups. Our schools have both chosen to do year group bubbles so that they can continue to provide breakfast and after school clubs - this means that they will continue to eat lunch in their class rooms, staggered start and finish times, no assemblies, separate playground spaces etc

@MoreW1ne yes mine are infant and juniors, so much easier to keep them in one place for the day that gcse students. It would’ve made much more sense to start prepping for a decent home learning option for students of that age so they can do a mixture of school time and home learning. But I think the government has been fairly incompetent with everything, so it’s not much of a surprise their plan has big holes in!

There's certainly caution re number of hours and using them effectively.

But surely we need better public health messaging? Simple videos showing how to do it.

A child could easily have a few cotton masks and a plastic bag to put them in changing at break and lunch. Removing by ears and washing hands. It's not instead of SD etc but an extra measure. It does reduce transmission.

You could even have them wearing them into school, hand washing. Register etc and then remove and wash hands before work when they are all sat at their desks and working at distance and touching only their own things.

It's true thy will be sharing surfaces. That's why hand washing and public health messaging for children needs to also play a part. Something not scary but that explains it to them. Theyve had months out of school some of them.

I don't think we give them enough credit for managing to cope with other measures to assist a safer return. I'm sure they'd all rather that than ending up schools closing again.

I just think kids are more resilient than parents realise and more important to the future economy than the government is giving them credit for.

Our post war generation were hard workers because they saw what needed to be done to keep a country going. They were far more willing to make sacrifices and weren't "want it so need it now" We have a chance to raise a strong resilient and innovative generation here.