ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Should Students Have To Wear Face Masks During Physical Education Classes And At Recess?


 

 

Peter Andres, a parent of Pettisville students and a nurse, asked the Pettisville School Board to eliminate the requirement that Pettisville students wear masks during recess and physical education classes at the Monday, Sept. 21 board meeting.

In his statement, he questioned the effectiveness of the “face coverings” that most of us use to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus. He said 99.7% of those who contract the virus that causes COVID-19 recover. The figure, he said, is higher among children.

A recovery rate of 99.7% is great– unless you are in that three-tenths of one percent who won’t recover. How many parents and grandparents and teachers and staff members can a child with COVID-19 infect?

For a grandparent with health issues, what is the recovery rate? What about fellow students with health issues?

Andres, as a nurse, has more expertise with viruses than most of us, but how are we to square his statements with one from Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control, who said, “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus.”

Wearing a face covering all day is certainly no picnic, but students can take “mask breaks” in special cordoned-off areas outdoors. From what we hear, youngsters are adapting better than many adults.

If we are going to err on the face mask issue, let us err on the side of caution.