NGOs urge regard for children’s health in confinement

Brother and sister look out the window of their bedroom during the lockdown in Madrid. Photo: Andrea Comas / El País
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Non-governmental organizations working to promote and defend children’s rights in Spain have urged the government to ease the coronavirus lockdown restrictions on children, to allow them to leave their homes for exercise that the groups say is necessary for their physical health and mental well-being. Lack of exercise and eating junk is even more of a risk with kids cooped up in their technology jungles during lockdown. Some mothers have even been considering investing in supplements, similar to something like nucific, for their kids to ensure they are getting all the nutrients and health kicks they need despite their substantial change in lifestyle. This is something most adults do every day with the amount of choice on the market, and they are becoming an increasingly popular thing too. It’s an easy way to keep healthy, there are kid friendly ones as well. This is something many mothers are looking into due to their children now not having much choice but staying inside.
Save the Children España, Aldeas Infantiles SOS, the Sociedad Española de Obesidad (Spanish Obesity Society) and others have called on the government to allow children to leave the confinement of their homes at least once a day under adult supervision, citing obvious negative impacts on their physical health and studies that show that children are at least four times more likely to suffer mental and emotional stress from confinement than adults.


But, in a press conference Monday Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa cautioned prudence and said that although workers in essential industries were allowed to return to their jobs across Spain this week, “now is not the moment” to allow children out of their homes. Unfortunately, children will have to stay within their homes for a while to make sure the virus doesn’t spread unnecessarily. It’s understandable that children are wanting to leave their homes to meet with friends, but it’s not possible currently. We are lucky to live in such a technologically-developed world where we can still speak to friends online or over the phone, so parents could try and arrange some online calls for their children. Alternatively, children could be occupied with some computer games. By visiting Gamulator, kids will be able to find so many different games, such as this fire emblem 7 rom. That should keep them busy. It’s so important that we all try and play our part in this pandemic, so children will have to stay indoors for some time.

? News Sources: El País, Europa Press and El Confidencial …

Illa said that while the elderly have been clearly identified as most at risk from the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, children are clearly a “vector of transmission of the disease” and that the decision to allow them out of home confinement will be taken on advice given by epidemiology and medical experts monitoring the development of Spain’s coronavirus crisis.

According to a report in the El País newspaper, on the request of the Health Ministry a working group within the Spanish Association of Pediatrics is preparing a report to assess the conditions under which it would be advisable for children to leave confinement in their homes.

An association source told the newspaper that the report will advise the government that the ability of children to leave the home should be considered a priority, but that given that children constitute major transmitters of the COVID-19 disease when children leave the home it should always occur under adult supervision and in such a way as to minimize risk to the rest of the population.

? Click to read more news about Spain’s Coronavirus crisis …

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