The RIVM has adjusted its advice concerning children under the age of 6 with runny noses. They may go to childcare or school if they do not have a fever, have not been identified by the GGD as a contact of someone infected with the coronavirus, and do not have an adult family member with symptoms indicating a coronavirus infection.
The RIVM’s guidelines are clear, says Kraak. “Most children with a runny nose can simply go to school. With this policy, the RIVM aims to prevent children from staying at home unnecessarily long. After all, we now know that children contribute very little to the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, many children often have a runny nose because all the passages around the nose, throat and ears are still narrow and become blocked more easily when they have a cold. They also catch colds more often because they are still developing their immune systems.”
The questions and discussion about runny noses in young children over the past week seemed to focus mainly on adults’ fears rather than on children’s development, Kraak says. “Instead of the child’s interests, our yardstick was adults’ fear. We hardly dared to make use of the opportunities that relaxing the coronavirus measures could offer children. Instead, we put on the brakes. That is not only undesirable; it can also harm children’s development.”
Developing resilience
During this uncertain period, we must help children cope with uncertainty, Kraak believes. “Sitting still and waiting for certainty is the last thing we want to teach children. As a society, coronavirus has now invited us to learn to make decisions based on the knowledge available at any given moment, reflect on their effects and adjust our actions based on our experiences. That is precisely a child’s developmental task. Adults can help children with this by talking to them about uncertainties. If we are guided not by fear but by common sense, we can ensure that the next generation is able to develop resilience.”
Source: Netherlands Youth Institute.