Commentary
Hospitals are experiencing an influx of young children with serious respiratory illnesses. Out of concern for their wellbeing, some health professionals are pushing to bring back mask mandates for schools. In other words, students would be required, once again, to wear masks while in school buildings.
While their motives might be admirable, their remedy is anything but admirable. That’s because wearing masks in schools at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic would not only be useless; it would be downright harmful.
It’s important to note that most children admitted to hospital are not ill because of COVID-19. Rather, they are sick with other respiratory illnesses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or influenza. These illnesses are not new, and there is nothing unusual about children contracting them. In fact, they are common childhood illnesses, and many children contract them every year….