'It Is Dangerous For Children To Wear Face Masks'

It is not advisable for parents and guardians to make infants wear face masks as they risk suffocating and choking, a Bulawayo doctor has said.

Speaking during an interview with CITE, Mpilo Acting Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Director, Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said children who are below the age of three should not wear face masks as they can die from suffocation. He said:

Children that are very young, who are less than three years or so and are unable to wear masks must not wear them. We don’t encourage children to put on masks because they may not feel that they are suffocating and may actually die from suffocation.

… So children shouldn’t be moving around. They should be staying at home, that’s why we see schools are closed because the moment they open children will be unable to wear the masks or keep them on for a few minutes, throw away the masks and contaminate each other.

The government has made it mandatory for citizens to wear masks in public places at all times to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified the wearing of face masks as one of the sure ways to curb the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus.

More: CITE