Two Students Wearing Masks Die During Physical Education Class in China

Wearing N95 Mask, Collapse During 1Km Run, Another Student Dies During PE Class
Experts Say No Causal Link Between Mask Wearing and Death, No Need to Wear Mask During Outdoor Classes

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Young-shin] According to China's state-run Global Times on the 6th, an accident occurred at a school in China where a middle school student died while running with a mask on during a physical education class.

According to the Global Times, a 14-year-old male student living in Hunan Province in central China suddenly died during a physical education class on the 4th. It is reported that the student died of respiratory distress while running 1 km wearing an N95 mask.

The newspaper also reported that a similar accident occurred last month in Henan Province. A middle school student died while running with a mask on. Parents suspect that their children died due to the masks. Chinese education authorities require students to wear masks at school as a preventive measure against the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The Global Times reported that controversy is arising on Chinese social media (SNS) as news of students dying while wearing masks during physical education classes spreads. Heated opinions are appearing on SNS, stating that COVID-19 prevention should be flexible and take into account students' physical conditions. There are claims that wearing masks in open spaces such as playgrounds can actually be harmful.

Contrary to these claims, some experts state that there is no causal relationship between wearing masks during physical education classes and student deaths. They argue that wearing a mask while exercising does not necessarily cause sudden death. Other experts advise that since children have had insufficient outdoor activities due to COVID-19, they should perform adequate warm-up exercises before exercising. The Global Times also conveyed experts' opinions that there is no need to mandate mask-wearing in open spaces like playgrounds where students can maintain social distance from each other.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.