Opinion: Don’t let children under 12 slip through the cracks in the fight against Covid
“Vaxxed and waxed” may be the TikTok sensation of the moment, a rallying cry for plenty of Americans who — thinking the pandemic is at an end — are emerging from their homes and aiming to enjoy a carefree summer. But many families with children younger than 12 — ours included — continue to worry about wearing masks and social distancing, especially as the Delta variant continues to surge, increasing Covid-19 cases across the country.
Pandemic-related guidelines and protections have to evolve. It isn’t flip-flopping, as some charge. It’s what must happen as the pandemic changes and knowledge about it grows. One example has been wearing masks: As the evidence base has evolved, so too have guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initial guidance refrained from recommending mask use by the public to preserve supplies for health workers. Subsequent iterations recommended, and then dropped, the indoor mask mandate.
