Pediatric group recommends masks for students over 2 when schools reopen | TheHill

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended on Monday that all students older than 2 years old wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status, when schools reopen in the fall.

The leading pediatrics organization called for universal masking, noting that most school-aged children are not yet eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and many schools are not planning to track the vaccination status of students and staff.  .

The pediatrics group acknowledged that current research indicates reopening schools with safety precautions like masking "does not significantly increase community transmission." But with variants like the delta strain spreading, the AAP noted transmission could increase.

The new recommendation comes as debates over universal masking have reemerged as COVID-19 cases climb nationally