New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the requirement of wearing face masks for two to year olds in school and daycare centers is coming to an end next week.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Adam said that starting Monday, June 13, masks will be optional for children under five years of age in all early childhood settings, Fox New York 5 reports.
Declining COVID-19 cases as basis
Adams points to the steady decline of COVID-19 cases as the reason for dropping the mandate.
The statement also strongly recommends that New Yorkers of all ages continue to wear masks indoors. Adams also assured that they will continue to make masks available for any child or school staff member who wishes to continue wearing them.
The city issued the mask mandate in April for children under five when New York City was averaging around 1,300 new cases of COVID-19 per day due to the Omicron subvariant BA.2.
The statement also said that the Mayor is with New York City parents, and he assures the New Yorkers that they will continue to make proper public health decisions to keep their kids safe.
The mask mandate for children under five was one of the last city-wide COVID-19 restrictions still in place, Bloomberg says. Earlier this year, Adams suspended the rule that required proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and other public venues.
The order was a welcome development for parents and teachers.
Natalya Murakhver of the group Restore Childhood said that she was thrilled that the mayor finally lifted the mask mandate of toddlers because forcing the, to wear masks have stunted their development and had caused several unforeseen problems.
Murakher shared that their group got a report from a parent a month ago about a child who received peanut butter candy. The child was allergic to peanut. After eating the peanut butter, the child was asked to put on the mask again without checking the child's reaction to the food. The child had hives, and it went unnoticed due to the mask. The next time that the child the school gave the child a candy, he had a full blown anaphylaxis that almost cost his death. The child was immediately brought to the hospital.
Teacher Jackie Tojdowski said that she welcomes the idea because it was difficult to hear kids speaking when in mask. Wearing a mask was also difficult for toddlers especially when they are learning letters, reading and sounds.
Some parents however are wary of the mandate would spread the virus faster, making kids more vulnerable, CBS News reports.
COVID Vaccine for children aged five and younger
Meanwhile, the White House on Thursday announced that COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five years and younger could begin on the week of June 20, pending the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
FDA is set to decide next week if they will authorize the vaccine for kids aged five and younger. If the FDA and CDC approve, the White House said that it would mean that nearly every American is eligible for a vaccine.
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