Mask Confusion: Parents Of Unvaccinated Children Question What To Do As New York Lifts Mask Mandate
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Many parents are exhausted from a year of trying to guide their children through the pandemic.
Now, the latest mask guidelines have many confused and asking, "What am I supposed to do now?"
It's tough going for anxious parents as they try to make informed decisions on how best to navigate their unvaccinated children in what is now an unmasked world.
"Mass confusion for parents, yes," Uniondale mother Andrea Delgado said. "I think parents don't know how to really approach this with children."
The Delgados' grandparents are finally visiting.
"They came from Ecuador to here, so we had to wear a mask to protect them," 8-year-old Isabella Delgado said.
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Katie Cronin is a nurse and mother of a toddler.
"I feel children who are not vaccinated should continue to mask," she said.
Dennis Black has three young boys.
"I switched pediatricians because our pediatrician wanted us to vaccinate our children and I'm just not comfortable with that," he said.
It's a sticky situation that is creating angst and anger.
Many are looking for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on how families can rely on the honor system of strangers when bringing their kids indoors.
Dr. Leonard Krilov is chief of pediatrics at NYU Langone.
"There is no absolute answer, but certainly both as a physician and as a parent, to me, to err on the side of over-caution, I think, is still indicated," he told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
The New York state health department says children over the age of 2 who are not fully vaccinated at day care and summer camps must wear face coverings except when eating, drinking, swimming, showering or sleeping.
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Elmont resident Akeem Kelley worries about his nephews and nieces.
"For children, I am not really sure what masks are doing for their mental health," he said.
The Hampels of Garden City say regardless of guidelines, it's about personal comfort level.
"Vivian is 3 and she is comfortable wearing a mask, and we will continue to do that until we feel like the general public is mostly vaccinated," father Conor Hampel said.
Children with underlying medical conditions should be more careful.
Although rare, 27 children between ages 1-19 have died in New York state from COVID-19.
Doctors say since children can be asymptomatic spreaders, parents need to remain vigiliant throughout the summer.
