Break out your masks; they’re about to become obligatory again. From October 17-31, masks are required to use buses, trains, taxis, ferries, and student transportation.
The executive decree was signed by the Minister of Health, Director of Health Surveillance, and Director of Health. This follows a health alert for both mild and severe acute respiratory infections.
The health services, nationwide, especially in pediatrics, are saturated. To avoid the spread of contagious respiratory diseases and lower the impact on health services, schools were closed temporarily. As they open back up, it will be with mandatory masks for students over age 5 and for workers.
Children under age 2 shouldn’t wear masks. Those ages 2-5 can wear them or not, depending on their developmental level.
While optional, experts recommend the use of masks in other closed sites and sites with large gatherings of people, such as supermarkets and stadiums, for example, especially for those with risk factors. They recommend not bringing children to soccer games. They also remind us to keep on top of vaccine schedules, keep sick children home from school, and spend time in outdoor activities and ventilated spaces.
Please remember everything we learned since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, such as proper hand washing, coughing and sneezing technique, and social distancing.
On October 14, the National Children’s Hospital had 107 patients for respiratory infections. 5 of them were for covid-19 and the majority of them were for the respiratory syncytial virus. There were 21 children in delicate condition in the intensive care units and another 10 were in the emergency room on assisted ventilation.
