Ahead of DDMA meeting, a set of parents petition to lift mandatory masking in schools

Schools in Delhi are moving completely offline from April 1 and will start operating at full capacity from then.

“In March 2020, restrictions including masking made sense because COVID-19 was an unknown disease. Two years later, we know that school-age children are at a very low risk of severe COVID-19 as compared to adults. Masks may mitigate risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission; however, continuous masking can also be harmful for children’s development needs…,” states their petition. “COVID-19 restrictions need to be balanced against the need to provide children with an optimal learning and social environment. Masks have costs: children can’t understand teachers or each other; special needs children are suffering; young children may not develop emotional skills without facial cues; and children are finding it difficult to make connections.”

They have also stated that with severe heat and humidity in the summer, the masks will become moist environments suitable for the growth of bacteria and fungi close to their noses and mouths. “Experts in India and abroad have recommended lifting of mask mandates. Many countries have done exactly that. The Omicron wave has subsided, and risk of COVID-19 for all age groups is currently very low. Our children have borne the maximum burden and brunt of COVID restrictions,” they said.

“We request you to urgently remove mask mandates for school children. Please prioritize our children’s return to normalcy and make masks optional – anyone who wants or needs to use a mask is free to do so.”