As kids prepare to head back into the classroom this fall, doctors are encouraging parents to talk about how they can help their children better understand COVID-19.
Health officials said Thursday that young kids don’t spread or contract the virus as well as adults. But, they encourage parents to start talking about safety precautions to keep educators safe, like wearing a mask.
“Whatever you can do to make your kid feel like this is fun, this is cool, this is comfortable, and let them be in charge of it, let them,” Dr. Melanie Wellington of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics tells KCRG-TV 9. “It’s one of those things you need to do with your kid.”
She says parents need to teach them to wash their hands and avoid close conversations. While she says young kids are low risk to contract the virus and infect others, the teachers still need to keep these layers of protection in place for themselves.
“People often ask me how could I possibly get kids 6 feet apart in this room?,” Dr. Wellington tells KCRG-TV 9. “The goal is to have all these layers in place. If one layer is not perfect, but it’s good, that’s safe enough.”
(Photo: KCRG-TV 9)