Wearing a mask has become very common in the world lately, and people are wearing them for a good number of reasons.
I wear one when I go out not so much for my health, but for my wife’s. About twelve years ago she had a respiratory illness that should have killed her and I just don’t want to take any chances.
That being said, that are some people who don’t exactly have to wear them.
As cases of coronavirus continue to surge in parts of the U.S. the Center for Disease Control issued updated guidance Sunday of who should and who should not wear face masks as a measure to prevent spreading the virus.
According to the CDC, all people should wear cloth face coverings when they’re out in public and around people who don’t live with them, especially when social distancing isn’t feasible.
“This recommendation is based on what we know about the role respiratory droplets play in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, paired with emerging evidence from clinical and laboratory studies that shows cloth face coverings reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth,” the CDC wrote.
But the CDC acknowledges there are some who should not wear face coverings.
Children Under 2, People with Breathing Problems & Those With Cognitive or Sensorial Development Issues Should Possibly Not Wear Masks
According to the CDC’s guidelines, children under 2 should not wear masks and kids in pre-K or early elementary school should not be expected to wear a mask for long stretches of time.
People with breathing issues that could be exacerbated by wearing a face covering or people who are “unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering without assistance” should also not wear a mask according to the CDC.
Other situations do not lend themselves to wearing a mask and the CDC outlined those too.
They say deaf and hard of hearing people and any caregivers they may have who rely on lipreading for communication may need to skip the mask in some situations, and “some individuals with developmental disabilities, sensory integration concerns or tactile sensitivities, certain mental health conditions, or limited cognitive ability may have a negative reaction to wearing a cloth face covering.”
The CDC says in those cases people should consult with their doctors.
