The following is a commentary submitted by a Cayman Islands educator and published on condition of anonymity:
In the UK, children under 11 do not have to wear masks in school.
As we take directives from the UK, can we please follow these recommendations too?
I strongly believe that primary school children will not benefit from these face coverings.
They touch them constantly and move them around and this itself is more of a hygiene risk than distancing and hand/social hygiene etiquette. I witnessed an 8-year-old child today touch their mask 12 times while filling their water bottle. I could then sanitize the cooler as I witnessed it, but there are hundreds of opportunities during the day that this will happen with young children wearing masks.
I am a local educator and we are not wearing masks at our school until mandated but several children did today on parental request. All of them were constantly fiddling with them and taking them on and off.
Can Dr. John Lee advise on this matter?
To submit a Viewpoint commentary to the Current, email pbrendel@caymancurrent.org.