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“We’re all still at risk of catching the infection and passing the virus to others.”
Hinshaw said parents should include a cloth reusable mask on their back-to-school lists for fall. But she isn’t advocating making masks at school mandatory at this point until more evidence is in.
“We know for example that young people may feel that wearing a mask is uncomfortable and they may be likely to touch their face or fiddle with their mask during the day,” she said.
“I don’t know if we have enough evidence yet to understand how young children will potentially react to wearing masks.”
Hinshaw said the same logic applies when it comes to making masks mandatory across the province since some areas may be at a higher risk than others.
She said it’s also important not to focus entirely on mask wearing as a way of preventing COVID-19.
“We could distract from all of the other measures that are critically important and there is some evidence to suggest that for example, consistent physical distancing, when that’s achieved, is more effective than masking,” she said.
“We need to make sure we’re assessing the evidence.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2020
