The kids are home from school, but can they play with friends? ‘It’s complicated.’
While public schools are closed across North Carolina because of coronavirus concerns, parents are grappling with questions about how to keep their kids entertained, but safe.
Health experts and government officials have driven home the point that social distancing is one of the most critical measures people can take to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Kids have a low risk of having a severe case if they are infected and may get cold-like symptoms, but they can still carry the virus and spread the infection.
So what should families and children do — or not do — during this time?
Some experts say it’s best to keep kids at home, but that’s going to vary depending on personal situations and parents’ comfort levels.
“It’s complicated,” said Dr. Paul Cook, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. “Kids can likely transmit the infection to other people even if they do not have symptoms.”
Cook said as North Carolina gets more cases, it is more likely that transmission will be more likely between kids, and between kids and their caretakers.
“I am not trying to spread hysteria,” Cook said, “but these are difficult times.”
Can my kid play outside with friends?
Playing outside is a relatively low risk, but it’s not zero risk, according to Cook. Kids need to wash their hands with soap and water, which will be more important for young children who are more likely to pick their nose and spread germs, he said.
If kids are sick, they shouldn’t play with others. Children with confirmed cases of COVID-19 have generally had mild cold-like symptoms, including fever, runny nose and cough.
The CDC also discourages children and teens from gathering in public places.
Kids can certainly play basketball, but going to a playground with 20 other kids running around is not the best option, according to Dr. Christina Johns, senior medical advisor and vice president of communications for PM Pediatrics.
She recommends having kids play independently at playgrounds if they can, using hand sanitizer frequently while at parks and changing kids clothes and washing their hands once they get home.
“This is the new coronavirus so we don’t have a ton of experience to be able to give hard and fast best practice guidelines,” Johns said. “That being said, as a pediatrician, one of the things I always remind myself is young kids and toddlers … do all of the things that we are explicitly being told not to do right now.”
That means parents need to be vigilant about the environments their kids are in to try to keep them as safe as possible, she said.
Riding bikes and other outdoor activities where kids don’t have to share equipment or touch each other should be safe, according to Maha Mahdavinia, a physician in allergy and immunology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
She told The Washington Post that kids should avoid playground equipment, and she probably won’t let her 9-year-old and 6-year-old kids have even a few friends over anymore.
Are play dates safe?
Kids need to practice social distancing, and that means that there need to be limits on play dates, said Johns, who is also a mother of two.
“It is the time to take advantage of technology and FaceTime,” Johns said. “Can your child play an online game with another friend or try to set up hangman or something fun with games across the internet?
Those are options that can help parents who are working remotely make sure they don’t have a “three-ring circus in their home,” she said.
Johns said there need so to be some reasonable balance to make sure kids aren’t completely socially isolated. But this is certainly not a time for slumber parties or events at Chuck E Cheese.
Rachel Roper, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at ECU’s medical school, said it’s a difficult issue because any contact can spread the virus. She said she would isolate or quarantine her children, if possible.
But other experts say play dates are OK in many circumstances.
“Just because schools are closed doesn’t mean you can’t have any interaction with other people, period,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, M.D., a pediatrician in Colorado and an executive member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on infectious diseases, told the New York Times.
O’Leary said that play dates are OK, but parents should be careful if they or their kids are at high risk. Families should also be more cautious if they have a grandparent living with them.
The New York Times also reported that play dates for young children should be small, with just two or three kids at a time, based on the advice of Dr. Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention epidemiologist in Phoenix.
Older, school-age kids are usually better about personal hygiene so they could gather in larger groups if the parents feel comfortable with that, according to The New York Times.
Parents should also communicate with each other and set rules about avoiding playing with kids who are sick.
Can I hire a babysitter?
Some parents are still going into the office and need help taking care of their kids who aren’t allowed to go to school. And others may need it even more if they are working from home.
The CDC suggests looking into alternative childcare while daycare centers and schools are closed.
Cook said babysitters would need to bring Purell or other hand sanitizers and use them frequently on themselves and on the kids.
“Lack of symptoms does not mean that the kids do not have the virus,” Cook said.
Parents should talk to whoever is going to provide childcare, whether it’s a college student or professional babysitter, ahead of time about recent illnesses and travel, according to Johns, of PM Pediatrics.
What should you do if grandparents take care of children?
Almost 40% of grandparents in the U.S. provide childcare for their grandchildren, according to the CDC, and school closures will probably increase that percentage.
Dr. Mandy Cohen said that was a concern for state officials when considering whether to close schools, because that could put more grandparents at a higher risk.
Kids can become infected and transmit the virus to susceptible individuals like their grandparents.
Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes are more likely to have a more severe illness if they get the disease.
What can my child do to prevent getting sick or spread coronavirus?
Kids can stay healthy and help stop the spread of COVID-19 the same way adults can, according to the CDC.
Clean your hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Don’t touch your face, particularly mouth, nose and eyes.
Avoid people who are sick and are coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect surfaces in the house like tables, doorknobs, light switches, TV remotes and sinks.
Wash toys in warm water, when appropriate, and let them dry completely. It is safe to wash dirty laundry from a person who’s sick with other people’s items.
