The majority agrees that at least younger children should not be obliged to do so
Whether it is good or not for children to wear masks, from what age they are obligatory, how much they can interfere in the learning process – these are just some of the doubts that bother parents these days. However, there is still no consensus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) have not recommended that children between the ages of six and 11 wear masks. From the age of 12, it should be obligatory, as well as for adults, especially when children enter the crowd and spend time with many people indoors – stated the health services and the UN children’s rights agencies.
Many experts, however, warn that in some situations, masks can interfere with the learning process and negatively affect important school activities, which must also be considered. The majority agrees that at least younger children should not be obliged to do that, because they do not know how to put on and take off their masks in the right way. In addition, most experts claim that they are not carriers of the virus.
On the other hand, a recent study by the Pediatric Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Chicago showed that children under the age of five have between 10 and 100 times more genetic material of the coronavirus than older children and adults.