Op-Ed: Why we should let children go maskless outdoors this summer

We are living in a modern dystopia when, in the name of science, adults enjoy life unmasked while young children are masked; adults freely go to restaurants and gyms while children have attended school mainly by remote learning. The U.S. pandemic policies have firmly placed us in this position.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance for youth camps in late May that used vague wording that could be read as recommending continued outdoor masking of children. “People who are not fully vaccinated,” it said, “are encouraged to wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with other people who are not fully vaccinated.” Most group camp activities will require “sustained close contact.”

Since the CDC has yet to specifically address masking of children in other settings, gaps in the guidance have led to confusion. Some are using the camp guidance to extrapolate to other settings. As of now, the CDC recommends that unvaccinated people should wear masks anywhere they will be around other people.

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