A scientist who works under Dr. Anthony Fauci charges the CDC's strict guidelines for children’s summer camps — masks worn at all times, no sharing of toys, games or books, and staying 3 feet away from others at all times — are "unfair and cruel," asserting that making kids wear masks outdoors "is simply virtue signaling," according to an interview in New York Magazine. Another scientist called the guidelines “senseless.”
The camp ruling comes on the heels of, and in stark contrast to, a recent ruling by the CDC that masks are not needed if you’re walking, running or bicycling outdoors with household members — even if you’re not vaccinated — and that those who are vaccinated can do away with masks entirely when outdoors and not in a crowded area.
It’s especially confusing when factoring in studies that have shown kids to be at very low risk of serious illness due to COVID-19. Statistics show more children die of drowning or flu each year than have died of COVID-19.
Studies found an open-air environment decreases the odds of transmission of the virus while one review found “very few examples of outdoor transmission of COVID-19 in everyday life.” Research has shown that SARS-CoV-2 is inactivated within minutes when in direct sunlight.
SOURCE: New York Magazine May 4, 2021