New York City Mayor Eric Adams will end masking for 2- to 4-year-olds attending daycare and daycare on Monday, he said on Thursday, as the city passes peak of the latest wave of coronavirus cases.
“I’ve always said that science will guide us out of the pandemic, and because we’ve been tracking data that shows cases are falling, we’ve beaten the latest Covid-19 spike,” he said. Mayor Adams said in a statement.
This city is still strongly recommend that the mask worn indoors for people of all ages, however, as new, confirmed cases remain in high level despite the recent drop. City alert level is also still orange, or tall, but Mayor Adams has many times indicates he will remove or perform the tasks as he and his advisors see fit, instead of waiting for his alert system to trigger actions.
The task of masking toddlers has been a subject of great controversy in New York City as one of the last duties left by the mayor during the pandemic. The mayor lifted the requirement to wear masks for older children attending school, along with immunization verification policies at bars, restaurants and indoor entertainment venues, in early March. He also refused to reinstate the request for a wider indoor mask when the city was on high alert in mid-May, even though his warning system recommended it.
While some parents of toddlers support the mandate, a large group of parents have confronted the mayor over the issue, saying their child’s intellectual and emotional development is being limited. for wearing a mask. The mayor has repeatedly promised to abolish the mandate when he feels the time has come.
With school set to end in New York City on June 27, that leaves just two weeks of the optional mask policy for toddlers in schools that follow the school schedule. Advisers to federal regulators scheduled next week for review Is vaccination allowed for children under 5 years old?and shots may be available as early as the week of June 21.
The city’s latest wave of cases, spurred on by two sub-variables Omicronseems to have peaked on May 18, with an average of about 4,400 daily confirmed cases, according to data from TP. After weeks of declines, case numbers and hospitalizations are now reaching lower levels, which will officially mark the city’s return to the “moderate” or yellow alert level.
Parents opposed to the rule reacted on Thursday with satisfaction and frustration that the rule has dragged on for so long. In accordance with city regulations, in New York City, face masks are still required on public transportation, in medical facilities, and in some centralized facilities such as homeless shelters.
