Masks being considered as a requirement for Queensland children under 12

Queensland children under the age of 12 could soon have to wear masks, as the game-changing highly infectious Delta variant continues to wreak havoc among the young. Is this the right move? Have your say.

Queensland children under the age of 12 could soon have to wear masks, with the state government looking at expanding the requirement to youngsters.

It comes as an infectious disease expert warned primary school-aged children should be wearing masks when they return to classrooms and extra-curricular activities once the southeast’s lockdown ends.

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Chief health officer Jeannette Young said health officials were looking at what other countries were doing.

“Most places only require masks from the age of 12, and that’s what we’ve always done here in Queensland, but we’re looking if it’s possible to do it for younger,” she said.

But Dr Young said different masks would be required because the standard medical masks were too big for a child’s face.

“So there’s a whole range of things that we need to look at before we could do it, but yes, we’re definitely looking at it,” she said.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Associate Professor Paul Griffin said while it’s difficult to mandate masks in young children, it is essential that actions are taken to stop the spread of the highly-contagious Delta strain as soon as possible.
The expert said the behaviours of small children boosted the virus spread.

“This age group are very social and are more prone to close contact,” he said.
Prof Griffin said masks had not been a priority for younger children but the Delta cluster had been a game changer.
“We weren’t too concerned about virus spread at schools before but that’s changed and we also knew finding good fitting masks for small children was not easy,” he said.
The doctor said that expectations had to be realistic as children with learning problems or special health conditions may not adhere to having to wear one.