Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony is urging parents and guardians to have their children, especially those with underlying health issues, to wear medical masks.
This, he said, is necessary because children are becoming more susceptible to contracting the severe form of COVID-19.
The health minister made the disclosure in a Department of Public Information (DPI) report on Friday’s COVID-19 update.
“Children with medical conditions such as cancers and so forth, it is recommended that they wear the medical types of masks, because it’s trying to protect them from getting these infections. Other children who are relatively healthy should and can wear the cloth mask.
“So, we should encourage children to wear masks, especially in the light, right now globally, you have the Delta variant that is currently circulating and with this particular variant, anyone who is unvaccinated would be at risk, which includes children.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines state that children five years and above should wear a mask, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its guidelines, stipulating that those children two years and over should wear a mask, the DPI reported.
Guyana’s COVID-19 guidelines state that everyone over the age of eight years, must wear a mask whenever in public, the DPI added.
