Republicans look to punish Democrats for school mask mandates | Washington Examiner
The CDC has recommended since last summer that everyone 2 years and older wear a mask whenever possible regardless of vaccination status. Before late October, that meant the majority of school children. Children as young as 5 are now authorized to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, though vaccine uptake among that age group remains low. About 22% of children five through 11 and about 56% of children 12-17 have been fully vaccinated, according to a tracker from the Mayo Clinic.
Children are also at risk of missing developmental milestones due to the effects masking has on their ability to read facial expressions and understand speech. The United States is an outlier in recommending widespread masking for young children. The World Health Organization maintains that children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks,” and the European equivalent of the CDC does not recommend masks for children under 12.
The new fight over mask mandates at schools comes amid signs the public is increasingly ready to move away from COVID-19 restrictions. A recent Monmouth University poll found that 7 in 10 people agreed with the statement, It s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.”