What activities can and can't children do? Advice from 828 experts

Even as the experts urged continued caution until a pediatric vaccine arrives, they also emphasized that parents needed to weigh the risks of continued social isolation. Over all, the experts were somewhat more concerned about the mental health consequences of the pandemic for children than about its effects on their physical health. “Isolation of children is detrimental to their mental and physical health,” said Kevin Andresen, leader of the Covid response team for the Colorado Department of Public Health. “Finding safe ways to have children socialize and play needs our full attention while we continue to evaluate vaccine efficacy in this group.” Marissa Brash, chair of the department of public health at Azusa Pacific University, said: “We have done as many Zoom play dates as we can for my 9-year-old. She’s navigated Facebook friends. She’s streamed Netflix movies together over FaceTime. But nothing substitutes cartwheels and climbing trees and building sand castles.”