Tomorrow, Friday 24, people are set to gather in Valletta to protest the current COVID-19 rule urging children to wear masks at school. The protest titled ‘Unmask school children’ will be a peaceful demonstration where attendees will walk silently and hold up placards “high for all to see”. The organiser of the event held that the event “is being organised strictly to safeguard our children who are unable to defend themselves against this tyranny”.

Realistically speaking, if someone deserves to get back to normality, it’s the children. While we have been seeing events of every shape or form all across Malta, children must go back to school in Malta’s less-than-pleasant temperature conditions wearing masks and it is the parents who must bear witness to their exhausted children after a hot day wearing a mask.

A few days ago, a petition was started calling for primary schoolchildren to be allowed to take off masks while seated, gaining over 1,500 signatures in one week. The parent who started the petition, Evicka Grech stated that masks do not only prevent children from communicating and understanding each other properly but presents a number of difficulties when teaching and learning phonics.

Studies also found that masks impair recognition of emotions, positive social interactions and ability of understanding and empathy. These concerning results beg the question, is it time to free the kids?

#MaltaDaily