Preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus among children returning to school this year is only one concern among health officials — another is preventing the flu. Earlier this month, Massachusetts became the first state to establish a mandate, which requires that students under the age of 30 get the flu shot before December 31. This applies to children over the age of 6 months attending childcare, K-12 students — even those participating in remote learning — as well as full-time undergraduate and graduate students who plan on attending any on-campus classes or activities.