It is inevitable that on the 8th of March, all secondary students must wear masks at all times at school. It will be uncomfortable at times, but health specialists have claimed that masks will minimise the spread of COVID 19. However, the question is whether you are going to be able to maintain masks on hundreds of thousands of primary school children.
Whilst the government has not officially confirmed that masks will be worn by primary teachers and staff, a range of schools are encouraging this, for as young as Year One students, to allow them to socialise and play with others, a vital part contributing to their healthy development. Another reason why masks are so vital in primary schools is because some have limited spacing, and so do not provide for sufficient social distancing.
Whilst we know by now that children are less likely to suffer severely from COVID, they still can transmit the virus. This, tied with the fact that primary school children crave to play, socialise and mingle, understandably of course, undoubtedly has increased the spread of this virus. Teachers are confident that they have the skills to discipline their young students to wear masks, so that they understand the severity of our current situation. Professor Russel Viner has stated his concern about children in primary schools wearing masks- “There are lots of concerns about mask-wearing for children, particularly younger children. Because they touch their face, they are constantly worried about the mask, it actually could spread the virus more’.
The debate whether primary school children should wear masks is a difficult one. On one hand, teachers are trying to encourage youngsters to wear masks to showcase the positives of the situation, demonstrating them playing their part in society. On the other hand, some say that primary school children will struggle to keep their masks on all day, and will become overwhelmed quickly.
