According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. They explain it as follows: “The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. Therefore, it is important to stay more than one meter away from a person who is sick.”
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA has recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public settings, especially where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. South Africa’s national Department of Health has now also mandated that people wear cloth face masks, regardless of whether people are ill or not, when out in public. All retail outlets have instructed that shoppers must wear a face mask in order to be permitted entry into their stores, and workplaces have been instructed to require the same from their employees.
Read more about: Businessman Peet Viljoen Remembering the Poor in the Fight Against COVID-19
This means that children, too, are required to wear face masks when in public, but as many a parent will tell you this is easier said than done. Firstly, most of the masks available for purchase are manufactured in adult sizes, which are too large for children. Secondly, children don’t always understand why they need to wear a mask, and parents might find it challenging to get them to comply.
“We understand that children need be protected, and that parents only want the best for them,” says Peet Viljoen, well-known Pretoria philanthropist and CEO of Tammy Taylor Nails South Africa, a leader in the beauty salon industry in South Africa.
“When the National Disaster was announced in South Africa, we immediately repurposed our textile factory from making therapist uniforms to making fabric masks. Not only do we offer these masks for retail purchase, but we have also been able to donate thousands of face masks to those less fortunate, as well as various essential workers, over the past two months. We also make masks in children’s sizes, which have become very popular.”
Peet has some tips for parents when it comes to getting their kids to wear a face mask. “I have children of my own, so I know how challenging this can be,” he says. “It is important to first ensure that your children understand why they need to wear a mask, without scaring or confusing them. Keep your communication simple, but open and honest. Kids know when they are being lied to, and this won’t help your cause.”
His second tip is to help your child become accustomed to wearing a mask by first practicing at home. “While children should never be left unsupervised with a face covering, it can help to make wearing a mask a family activity,” he says. “If your children see you wearing your mask, and you engage them in the activity, it will help when you need to leave the house, and everyone puts on their mask together.”
Lastly, Peet advises that parents explain the purpose of a mask as part of a holistic solution in fighting the virus. “Washing your hands and maintaining social distancing are still critical,” he says. “Wearing a mask does not make you invincible; there are other safety precautions that need to be followed. Encouraging a culture of hygiene within the home is good practice generally, and especially now during the pandemic we are facing. We need to instil in our children a sense of ownership of their own hygiene – even very small children can ‘take charge’ of washing their hands and learn to minimise touching their face.”
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