HARTFORD, Conn — Now that COVID-19 restrictions have been eased in Connecticut, more people will be out-and-about, and may be bringing young kids out in public for the first time in a while.
However, getting children to wear masks to protect them can be difficult. Dr. Juan Salazar, the Physician-In-Chief and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, said children over the age of three should wear masks. If they are hesitant, he said to try and make the process fun.
“You could put a superhero mask on them and make it like a fun game to wear it,” he said.
“I think a cloth mask is very helpful. Make sure there are no loose ends, nothing attached to it that children can choke on - that’s going to be very important, and then make sure they fit tightly around the ear and make it like a good game to have,” Dr, Salazar said.
For toddlers, masks aren’t considered necessary, and they may not let you put them on anyway, but Dr. Salazar said parents can use strollers as a line of defense.
“My recommendation is that, if you’re in a stroller, to cover the stroller. That’s something you can certainly do, and avoid large crowds, that’s really the main thing we need to do,” Dr. Salazar said.
“Keeping our physical distance is still very important we’re still in the midst of this pandemic, this is not a time to be spending time with 50 kids, a big party, even ten or fifteen. Physical distance. Masks for anyone over three.”
