Guidance for Children's Face Coverings

Posted on

In SFDPH's full health order, essential businesses, healthcare settings, or on public transportation in San Francisco requires people to wear face coverings.

This order is in addition to and not a substitute for other protective measures such as social distancing, regular hand washing, staying home when ill, etc. 

Some key points of this order relevant to the school/childcare community include: 

  • All parents or guardians accessing childcare, summer camps, or other education or recreational programs for their children must wear facial coverings while in these facilities, including during drop off and pick up. 
  • There are different recommendations regarding face coverings for children based on age when they are in public and attending programs for youth.  The attached flyer explains these differences for ages 0-2, 3-12, and 13 and older. 
  • When feasible, staff members and older children should wear face coverings within the childcare, summer camps, or other education or recreational programs. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. 

Attached is a flyer on face coverings for children. These flyers are currently being translated into Spanish and Chinese. We will share the translated versions as soon as they become available.

Below are two links to posters reminding adults to wear face coverings:

Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

DOC COVID-19 School/Childcare Team

San Francisco Department of Public Health

email: schools-childcaresites@sfdph.org

 Please check the following sites for regular COVID-19 updates:

SFDPH Full Health Order