Is it too risky for kids to go maskless at school and day care? What experts say

With mask mandates easing, some parents and schools will have much to think about in the coming weeks. Because children under 5 aren’t eligible to be vaccinated, day care centers with those younger kids “still need to use masks.” Maldonado, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said people who say masks and distancing don’t work are wrong. “That’s especially when you have a lot of transmission, because when there’s a lot of transmission, there’s just a lot more chances that people — even in small settings — could in fact, be asymptomatic and still be infected.” Ferrer said there’s still enough transmission in L.A. County that “parents should think about their child and their child’s particular circumstance and their home circumstance, and then work with a child care provider about what makes sense for that child.” Younger children aren’t just vulnerable because they’re not yet eligible for vaccinations; some have “underlying conditions that put them at much higher risk, or they live with people who are very vulnerable,” Ferrer said. “It’s still reasonable to talk with your child care provider about your unique circumstance, particularly for children under 2, that can’t mask up.” Masks still provide protection Whether or not schools make mask-wearing optional, it’s worth noting that higher-grade masks, such as KF94 and KN95 masks, offer wearers additional protections from infection, Ferrer said, adding that her grandchildren are comfortable in KF94 masks. “We’re strongly recommending at day cares that employees keep their masks on,” in part because “they are going to be taking care of children, many of whom cannot mask.” Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a UCLA epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert, said if a child younger than 2 is going into a mask-optional day care center, if there’s not older people in their household, or someone who is immunocompromised, case rates locally are now low enough that sending children into such a setting is “relatively safer than it would have been before.”