The WHO has recommended that children below the age of five do not have to wear masks but the rules change for children who fall under a different age group.
Children wearing protective face masks line up during teaching and learning activities amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Lebak, Banten Province, Indonesia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its mask-wearing guidelines for children as the cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid19) continue to rise across the world.
The WHO has recommended that children below the age of five do not have to wear masks. This decision was made keeping in mind the capacity of a child to wear a mask with minimal assistance. The global health body also considered other factors like the child’s safety and their overall health.
WHO in its coronavirus page has listed several criteria when it comes to children falling under the age group of 6-11 years. WHO says that masks should be worn only if there is widespread transmission of Covid-19 in the area where the child comes from. It also highlighted that aspects like the ability of children to wear masks, adult supervision and potential impact of wearing them on learning should also be taken into account in these cases.
WHO recommends that children above 12 years of age should wear masks and follow the same guidelines as adults regardless of the intensity of transmission of Covid-19 in the area where the child resides.
It has also recommended that children suffering from cancer and cystic fibrosis should wear medical masks to provide better protection. It also said that it is not mandatory for children with developmental difficulties to wear masks and such cases should be assessed by the parents, caregivers and medical workers.
There are more than 23 million cases of Covid-19 which have been reported across the globe with the US, India and Brazil contributing to the most number of cases. Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam, who along with few other nations have been lauded for their efforts to handle the pandemic, are now seeing a rise in the number of cases.
