An appeals court determined that New York City's mask mandate for children under the age of five will remain in effect on Monday, halting a ruling by a Staten Island judge who had set it down earlier on Friday.
Mayor Eric Adams tweeted, "Every decision we make is with our children's health and safety in mind." "From Monday forward, children aged 2 to 4 should continue to wear their masks at school and daycare."
After a Friday evening hearing, Judge Paul Wooten granted the stay. As the daily number of coronavirus illnesses in the city grew, New York Mayor Eric Adams and city health officials announced early Friday that they planned to preserve the requirement.
Mr. Adams stated, "We're advising folks to take extra care." State Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio had earlier Friday determined that the city's demand was "arbitrary, capricious, and irrational," and had issued a permanent injunction against its execution. Mr. Adams' decision to appeal the ruling saddened and frustrated Michael Chessa, a Brooklyn lawyer who filed the complaint challenging the mandate.
Mr. Adams said last month that starting April 4, "if we continue to see low levels of risk," young children would not have to wear masks. On Friday, Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, asked for "more patience and a bit of grace" as the number of daily infections rose.
On March 29, the seven-day average of daily coronavirus cases jumped to 1,254 from 996 the week before. The number of cases is still far lower than during the Omicron-fueled surge in January, when the seven-day average case count reached 40,000.
According to city data, the seven-day average number of Covid-19 patients in New York hospitals has been below 40 for the past month. During the first week of January, it surpassed 1,000.
Dr. Vasan stated that younger infants who are not eligible for coronavirus immunizations should be treated with caution.
Rising COVID cases
New York City eliminated the requirement that children in grades K-12 wear masks at school on March 7, but it preserved the requirement for younger children who aren't yet vaccinated. The city also no longer requires restaurants and other business patrons to provide proof of vaccination.
Only populations with high Covid-19 levels should use universal school masking, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Friday, the CDC rated all five counties in New York City as low risk.
Mayor Eric Adams tweeted, "Every decision we make is with our children's health and safety in mind." "From Monday forward, children aged 2 to 4 should continue to wear their masks at school and daycare."
An appellate judge's Friday night stay allows the mayor to continue enforcing the mask rule in daycare and pre-K settings, despite an increase in COVID cases around the city. Children under the age of five are the only ones who are not required to get vaccinated, and they are still the only ones who must wear masks, despite the city's removal of the rule for those in K-12 schools on March 7.
Ramping up of vaccination mandates
Children who have missed months of face-to-face learning are still routinely kept home again because their sibling, parent, or friend is infected.
New York City employees are still required to get vaccinated, and private employees who do not work remotely are also required to be vaccinated. Mr. Adams declared an exemption to the mandate for professional players on New York teams last week, following the suspension of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving for home games.
Only populations with high Covid-19 levels should use universal school masking, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Friday, the CDC rated all five counties in New York City as low risk.
The insistence on confirmation of vaccination is irrational and unfair because unvaccinated people pose no more or less of a threat to others than vaccinated people.
According to city data, the seven-day average number of Covid-19 patients in New York hospitals has been below 40 for the past month. During the first week of January, it surpassed 1,000.