VOA慢速英语2020 世卫组织发布儿童佩戴口罩指南（在线收听）

As millions of children around the world are going back to school, the World Health Organization (WHO) says those aged 6 to 12 should wear masks to fight the spread of coronavirus. But children younger than 6 should not wear them.

随着世界各地数百万儿童重返校园，世界卫生组织表示，年龄在6至12岁之间的儿童应该戴口罩以抵抗新冠病毒的传播。但是6岁以下儿童不应该戴口罩。

The WHO announced its guidelines this week following widespread belief that younger children are less likely to get infected compared to adults.

人们普遍认为与年轻人相比，儿童感染的可能性较小，之后世卫组织于本周宣布了其应对指南。

The health organization says the decision to use masks for children between 6 to 12 should be based on the following conditions:

这家卫生组织表示，应该根据以下条件决定是否给6-12岁儿童使用口罩：

A child's environment. Is there widespread transmission in the area where the child lives? Does the child have contact with high-risk groups -- such as elderly adults or those with underlying health conditions?

儿童所处的环境。孩子居住的地区是否存在广泛的传播途径？孩子是否接触过类似老年人或存在潜在健康问题的高风险人群？

A child's ability to safely and correctly use a mask. Are adults able to help put on, take off, and safely wear masks?

儿童安全和正确使用口罩的能力。成人是否能够帮助儿童戴上、脱下并且安全地使用口罩。

A child's access to masks. Are they able to wash them? Can they get new ones from home, the school, or childcare facility?

儿童获取口罩的渠道。他们能洗吗？他们是否可以从家里、学校或是托儿所领到新的口罩？

The effects of mask-wearing on a child's learning, disabilities, or underlying diseases. In these cases, the decision for a child to wear a mask should be made with teachers, parents, caregivers, and/or healthcare professionals.

戴口罩对儿童学习、残疾或潜在疾病的影响。在这些情况下，应该由老师、父母、看护者，和/或医疗保健人员决定是否要戴口罩。

For those 12 and older, the WHO says they should wear masks just like adults. This is especially important in cases where physical distancing cannot be guaranteed and in areas of high transmission.

世卫组织表示，12岁以上儿童应该像成年人一样戴口罩。在无法保证物理距离以及在高传播风险地区，这一点尤为重要。

The WHO advises children to not wear masks when playing sports or doing physical activities, such as running, jumping, or playing on the playground. Wearing a mask during physical activity may make breathing difficult.

世卫组织建议儿童在从事体育运动或进行锻炼（例如跑步、跳跃或在操场上玩耍）时不要戴口罩。在体育活动过程中戴口罩可能会造成呼吸困难。

However, when organizing these activities for children, it is important to follow other public health measures: maintain at least a 1-meter distance from others, limit the number of children playing together, and provide access to hand-washing areas and supplies.

然而，在为儿童组织这类活动时，必须遵循其它公共卫生措施：与他人保持至少1米的距离，限制儿童活动人数，并提供洗手区和洗手用品。

The guidelines come after more than 23 million people have been infected with COVID-19 along with 810,000 deaths so far. Those are the numbers reported by Johns Hopkins University. But experts say the real numbers are even higher.

这份指南出台之前，已经有超过2300万人感染新冠病毒，并导致81万人死亡。这是约翰·霍普金斯大学报告的数据。但是专家表示，实际数字甚至更高。

Access to education

受教育机会

The WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also note that no child should be denied access to an education if a mask is unavailable.

世卫组织和联合国儿童基金会还指出，不应该剥夺任何无法获取口罩的儿童接受教育的机会。

Over the weekend, British medical officials have said, "Very few, if any, children or teenagers will come to long-term harm from COVID-19 due solely to attending school.''

上周末，英国医务人员表示：“很少有儿童或是少年会仅仅因为上学而遭受新冠病毒的长期伤害。”

Compare this, they add, to the long-term harm many children and young people may experience from not attending school.

他们还说，相比之下，许多儿童和年轻人可能会因为不上学而受到长期伤害。