Mayor-elect Eric Adams offered hope on Sunday that the days of children being forced to wear masks in New York City public schools may soon come to an end.
During an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Adams indicated that he would be open to lifting the mask mandates in public schools sometime in 2022, provided it can be done safely and that COVID-19 cases continue to fall.
“We’re going to do it with the science, that is crucial to me,” said the mayor-elect, who takes office Jan. 1. “I think part of the development and socialization of a child is that smile. Not being able to see the smiles of our children, I believe, has a major impact. I think it’s imperative that we can find a safe way to do it.”
Adams’ statement comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granted emergency use approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. That opened the door for most remaining students in the New York City public schools system to be eligible to receive the vaccine.
The current administration, however, did not commit to a timetable of when the school mask mandate would be lifted. On Nov. 4, Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated that all students will continue to be required to wear masks “for now,” even if they’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine, largely because the face coverings have proven effective at preventing illness.
“I would keep the masks in place at least in the short term because they have really worked,” de Blasio said at his Nov. 4 briefing. “Kids have adapted to them well and the adults have adapted to them well.”
Adams did indicate Sunday he would not make a rash decision to end the school mask mandate out of concern of an increase in COVID-19 spread. Still, he remains enthusiastic that at some point, the masks will be a thing of the past.
“I look forward to getting rid of the masks, but it must be done with the science [in mind],” Adams said, “that we’re not going to be turning back in our city and closing it down.”
The mayor-elect also offered support of the COVID-19 vaccine mandates in place, though he expressed a willingness to talk with those few holdouts such as individuals with religious or medical exemptions.
“If there are real health care issues, real religious exemptions, we need ot look at that and weed thatout of those on the street trying to bring disorder to our city,” Adams added.
Watch the entire interview here.
