Masks in the Classroom: Doctor Weighs in on School Mask Mandates
To mask or not to mask? That is the question — especially when it comes to whether or not children should be wearing masks in schools.
It's a question that no one seems to have an answer to. Poudre School District, Thompson School District, and Jefferson County are requiring children to mask up, while Greeley-Evans School District and Weld RE-4 School District aren't.
Even parents can't seem to make up their minds, as protests and counter-protests have erupted across Colorado.
Dr. Tina Tan, an attending physician with the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and a professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, has a clear stance on the issue — and it involves keeping children in the classroom.
"There's a fairly large group of children that are not protected by vaccines and we have to find a safe way for them to attend in-person school because the benefits of [in-person school] are definitely much, much greater than virtual learning," she said in our "Tuned In to NoCo" interview. "There are some steps that people can take to ensure a safer environment for their kids to learn in."
One of Dr. Tan's steps, albeit a controversial one, is a mask mandate.
"If kids are going to go back to in-person learning, they need to wear a mask," she said. "There should be mask mandates in schools so that teachers, students, and staff all are wearing masks indoors in schools."
Dr. Tan also noted the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, the topic of another recent protest at the UCHealth Medical Center in Loveland.
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Hear more about Dr. Tan's insight on mask mandates in schools by listening to her full "Tuned In to NoCo" interview below.