HOUSTON — Parents with young children are stuck in a sticky situation this summer. What activities can they do safely when the youngest members of the family can’t be vaccinated against COVID-19?
Let’s connect the dots.
No vaccines yet for young kids
It’s a strange phase in this already strange pandemic, adults and older children are getting vaccinated and the world is ready to return to normal. However, the youngest among us are still at risk.
While young children seem less susceptible to severe forms of coronavirus, they can still get sick and some have developed severe and even deadly forms of the virus.
Vaccines for children under the age of 12 are not expected to be approved until the fall.
Young kids should wear mask in public places
The New York Times polled over 800 health experts to find out what activities are safe. When it came to public places, where vaccinated adults are no longer required to wear a mask, a slim majority of the experts said it was OK for young children as long as they did wear a mask.
For indoor gatherings with other unvaccinated children, the experts also said that was OK but to limit the amount of people.
Is swimming safe for unvaccinated kids?
Summer is a popular time for outdoor activities like swimming wear kids can’t wear a mask. So is that safe?
The majority of experts said as long as they are outdoors the risk is low.
Are airplanes safe for unvaccinated kids?
When it came to another summer time activity, travel, the experts said it was mostly safe for young kids to fly as long as they were masked.
But they did recommend considering double masking and limiting the length of flights.