Harsh COVID Lockdowns in Ireland Hindered Babies’ Language and Social Development: Study

Harsh COVID Lockdowns in Ireland Hindered Babies’ Language and Social Development: Study
Anti-lockdown demonstrators hold a banner during a protest against outside Leinster House in Dublin on October 10, 2020. Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
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Ireland’s COVID-19 lockdown measures, known to be among the toughest in Europe, have delayed the speech and social development of newborn babies, a new study suggests.

According to researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Irish babies born during the early months of the pandemic lockdown are meeting fewer developmental milestones in speech and communication than children born before the pandemic.