Adams vows to revisit mask rule for kids under 5

Mayor Adams promised Monday to eventually roll back the mask mandate for the city’s youngest school kids as pressure built for him to do so now that students older than 5 can forgo face coverings in class.

In a string of early morning television and radio appearances, Adams said he wants to see what the impact is from his decision to rescind the mask requirement for K-12 students before moving to drop the rule for preschoolers.

“We’re going to examine the data to make sure that there are no spikes, and then we’re going to come back and visit those children from 2 to 5. So we’re going to do this in a very safe way because I don’t want to close the city down and I don’t want to endanger our children,” Adams said on Fox 5.

Hizzoner justified the staggered approach by noting that those younger than 5 still can’t get vaccinated against COVID-19. Considering coronavirus hospitalization rates ticked up among the unvaccinated youngsters earlier this year, Adams said it would be “reckless” to do away with the mask rule for them off the bat.

“We are going to get there. We will lose the masks. We’re gonna see if there’s any spike in K-12, then we’ll come back for the babies,” he said on NY1.

Some preschool parents are not convinced by Adams’ argument and planned to gather in City Hall Park later Monday to protest his decision to keep the mandate in place for their kids.

One of those parents, Daniela Jampel of Queens, argued it’s unfair to place the masking burden on the city’s youngest children.

“Here is my 4-year-old, bravely carrying the entire weight of the pandemic on her tiny shoulders. I hope this picture makes people feel safer as they go about their maskless lives,” Jampel tweeted at Adams along with a photo of her masked daughter and the hashtag “#unmaskmytoddler.”

Meantime, city students older than 5 were able to head into their classrooms Monday morning for the first time since 2020 without a face mask on. Monday also marked the first day when restaurants, bars, gyms and other establishments in the city will no longer need to screen customers for proof of vaccination for indoor activities.

Adams touted the cancellation of the public health precautions as a sign of the city’s recovery from the pandemic. “COVID had its chance, really hijacking our city, traumatizing us,” he said. “It’s now time for New Yorkers to have their chance to enjoy their city again.”