Los Angeles Times

Is it too risky for kids to go maskless at school and daycare? What experts say

LOS ANGELES — With mask mandates easing, some parents and schools will have much to think about in the coming weeks. After Friday night at 11:59 p.m., California will lift its indoor K-12 and childcare mask mandate, and it’ll be up to school and childcare operators to decide for themselves their own masking policy. Health officials are strongly recommending masks still be worn in indoor public ...
Leonila Irias, left, runs a child care center from her home in Hawthorne, California, seen on Nov. 30, 2021.

LOS ANGELES — With mask mandates easing, some parents and schools will have much to think about in the coming weeks.

After Friday night at 11:59 p.m., California will lift its indoor K-12 and childcare mask mandate, and it’ll be up to school and childcare operators to decide for themselves their own masking policy.

Health officials are strongly recommending masks still be worn in indoor public settings, but school operators will have their own power to retain a mask order or to make wearing them optional.

Here is what experts are saying about the risks and what parents need to consider.

Why masks still make sense for young children

Some parents have been eager for masks to become optional, and there are instances in which that can make sense.

It can be prudent to retain mask-wearing policies

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times6 min readAmerican Government
Young Voters Don't Give Biden Credit For Passing The Biggest Climate Bill In History
President Joe Biden spent his Earth Day in a national forest this year with an explicit pitch to young people: a climate jobs corps intended to excite Gen Z the way John F. Kennedy's Peace Corps inspired their grandparents. Biden took a selfie with R
Los Angeles Times3 min readAmerican Government
LZ Granderson: Trump's Racist 'Welfare' Dog Whistle Is Nonsense Just Like Reagan's
Donald Trump took his dog whistle down to Florida last weekend, where he reportedly told a room full of donors: "When you are Democrat, you start off essentially at 40% because you have civil service, you have the unions and you have welfare." He the
Los Angeles Times6 min read
A Tale Of Two Downtowns In LA: As Offices Languish, Apartments Thrive
By many measures, downtown Los Angeles’ newest apartment tower is over the top with such gilded flourishes as stone tiles from Spain lining the elevator cabs and hand-troweled Italian plaster on interior walls. Hummingbirds have somehow found the fru

Related Books & Audiobooks