As we prepare for the second school year to be impacted by COVID-19, many families are wondering what to expect and whether mask-wearing is still in the cards for kids. Most school districts are still weighing their options and awaiting official guidance, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stepped up as the first major health organization to call for universal masking as kids return to class.
The AAP advises that every child over age 2 should wear a mask at the beginning of the new school year, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are a part of a “layered approach” to safety, according to an AAP press release, and the organization also recommends schools closely follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) safe reopening guidelines that call for increased building ventilation, testing, quarantining and thorough cleaning.
“The pandemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on children, and it’s not just their education that has suffered but their mental, emotional and physical health,” Sonja O’Leary, chair of the AAP Council on School Health, says in the press release. “Combining layers of protection that include vaccinations, masking and clean hands hygiene will make in-person learning safe and possible for everyone.”
The AAP says they’re advising universal masking because children under 12 are not yet able to be vaccinated. Additionally, many states have rolled back COVID safety protocols, and schools in those states may not have an efficient way to track cases or outbreaks of the virus.
Research from the previous year proves schools have not traditionally been a major source of virus transmission; however, the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant could impact the number of children who get sick. The Delta variant is estimated to be 50% more transmissible than the original COVID strains, according to the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and it is now the dominant strain in the U.S.
While COVID-19 cases declined through much of the summer, the latest data from Johns Hopkins University indicates a 145% increase in positive COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, with the U.S. now averaging over 32,000 new cases per day. According to the AAP, over four million kids have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, and 23,500 new child COVID-19 infections were added in the single week between July 8 and July 15.
During that same time period, children made up between 1.3% and 3.6% of total reported hospitalizations. In Mississippi and Arkansas, where COVID cases are surging, doctors report seeing a noticeable uptick in the number of children testing positive and needing advanced care in hospitals.
The current CDC guidelines say people can stop wearing masks and return to normal activities once they are vaccinated. The official recommendations haven’t changed since the introduction of the Delta variant; however, the organization did issue a recent reminder that unvaccinated children should still wear masks in public.
Additionally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a recent interview with PBS NewsHour that unvaccinated adults and children are “considerably vulnerable” to the COVID-19 Delta variant, and he recommends those who can’t be vaccinated wear a mask “indoors, for sure, and even under certain circumstances outdoors.”
While the AAP and other organizations strongly recommend masks for kids, decisions regarding masks and other safety protocols in schools will be up to state leaders and individual school districts. The actual rules could vary widely depending on where you live and the rates of COVID cases in your area, but it will be important that all government leaders and school officials heed the advice of medical experts to keep kids safe during this unpredictable new era of the pandemic.