Most liberal parts of the country have finally started to drop COVID-19 restrictions again, but there remains one subset of the population that is expected to live by a stricter set of rules. And that group just so happens to be the only one incapable of putting up a fight: children.

Over the past few weeks, New York, California, Washington, D.C., Illinois, and other Democratic-controlled jurisdictions agreed to ease mask and vaccine restrictions for most indoor venues. But schools are one of the only exceptions. While adults can now go out to the bars maskless in Washington, young children whose academic and social development depends on being able to see and understand facial expressions, and whose health is least at risk just by virtue of their age, must wear masks for hours on end.