Since their toddlers are still too young to be vaccinated, parents of children under the age of 12 await more specific advice on how their kids can safely gather. The Public Health Agency of Canada has stated that adults, who were vaccinated at least two weeks ago, could gather both indoors and outdoors with other fully vaccinated people. Yet, there are no such protocols for kids.
University of Ottawa epidemiologist Dr. Raywat Deonandan talked to the press:
“I think it’s probably okay for unvaccinated children to be with fully-vaccinated adults indoors, so long as other factors in the community are trending in the right direction.”
Still, when it comes to larger gatherings in closed spaces, things get trickier.
“If you have a few families that you associate with, and your kids associate with them, I think it’s safer always to do things outside,” stated University of Toronto pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Anna Banerji.
“It’s safer if you can’t keep a distance, to use a mask.”
When asked what protocols parents of unvaccinated kids should follow, the spokesperson of the Public Health Agency of Canada said that they should ask their local public health authorities.
The spokesperson added:
“They will be able to provide their latest advice in light of their local epidemiology and vaccination uptake status.”
For now, Toronto Public Health hasn’t released any specific guidelines related to the gathering of unvaccinated children. Some experts say that the answer may come in a form of a vaccine for children.
Banerji concluded:
“Hopefully, in the next few months, the vaccines will be licensed for younger kids. If we can hold out until then and create this wall around the kids, try to get the kids to be outside, and wear the masks, I think that’s really important.”
