Following CDC recommendations, Salem Pediatric Clinic requests that all visitors 2 years of age and older wear face coverings during office visits. Thank you for keeping all our families safe!
Face Covering Exemption Policy
CDC Guidelines recommend face coverings for all people except:
- Children under the age of 2
- People with trouble breathing (acutely, this does not apply to chronic conditions that may intermittently cause shortness of breath)
- Unconscious or incapacitated people
Certain people may have difficulty wearing a mask. These conditions may include:
- Young children above 2 depending on temperament, those with developmental delays or sensory disorder diagnoses
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Zoster reactivation on the face
- Recent significant facial surgery (at the discretion of surgeon)
For this group, to the degree possible, a face covering should still be attempted. Sometimes a different fabric or style will feel more comfortable. A face shield is a reasonable alternative if a cloth face covering is not possible, though research to demonstrate a significant benefit from face shields is still lacking.
What about Asthma and Chronic Lung Disease? Chronic lung diseases are not an exemption to using a face covering, outside of an acute exacerbation for which medical care is being provided.
Sources: CDC and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
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Salem Pediatric Clinic
