The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Basketball show for vaccinated Ansonia kids has some crying foul
ANSONIA — A plan to have a free comedy basketball show that potentially excludes a majority of Ansonia students has some parents crying foul.
The Harlem Wizards will bring their sports entertainment to the Ansonia armory Feb. 6, in a performance limited to vaccinated children. Derby-based Griffin Health is sponsoring the event as part of a thank-you gift to the city for its efforts to boost vaccine rates.
The vaccine requirement has generated considerable pushback on social media, but city officials are not backing down.
“Safety is paramount in this administration here in Ansonia. I want to make sure everybody has their vaccination. This is what Griffin Hospital requires and the Wizard organization requires and I’m fine with that,” Mayor David Cassetti said
So far, only 14.87 percent of all children in Ansonia from 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated as of Jan. 12 according to the state’s COVID vaccination data portal. That means 85 percent of elementary schoolage children in the city will not be able to attend the event.
Gina Rummo Diaz, an Ansonia mother of two said the requirements would punish unvaccinated children.
Diaz, who is vaccinated and has started the two-shot process to fully vaccinate her children, objected to the schools handing out flyers for the show.
“This is saying, ‘Hey kids, come and have an awesome time at this free event. Look at this cool flyer. But you can only come if your parents choose to get you vaccinated,” said Diaz.
That was precisely the point, said Griffin Health President and CEO Patrick Charmel. At the event’s announcement, the same day Ansonia unveiled the newly renovated gym at the armory, courtesy of Griffin, Charmel said he wants these events to create an incentive for children to pester their parents to attend and in doing so, boost vaccination rates.
Doing so is crucial, he said, because of the Naugatuck Valley’s lagging childhood vaccination rates.
“It’s an inducement. The February 6 exhibition, kids can only come if they’re fully vaccinated. So hopefully they’ll say to the parents, I really want to go, please, can I get vaccinated,” Charmel said.
He said it’s similar to how the toy industry markets its products. First children see a toy they like and they hound their parents to buy the toy for them. Charmel said the same process is at work with the games. And he’s got his work cut out for him.
When the city announced the event, parents such as Diaz criticized officials for leaving out unvaccinated children and for not consulting parents beforehand.
One poster on the Valley Independent Sentinel’s Facebook page compared the requirement to a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees birthright citizenship and protects citizens rights including travel. Another called the requirement “disgusting” and said they would not support an event over which children did not have any say over their vaccination status. And one poster simply wrote, “that’s not fair.”
Diaz understands the science behind vaccinations, and doesn’t have a problem with the vaccine requirement to attend the show. Her problem, she said, is unvaccinated children would get excited only to see their hopes dashed when they find out they aren’t eligible, she said.
Parents should have been consulted beforehand, she said.
“I think it’s totally fine to do fully vaccinated events. And I respect that. I respect the city. I respect Griffin trying to be safe,” she said. “My only issue with this event was how they’re promoting it. They handed it out in school to children. And the children are excited to attend these events. And then they come home and mom says ‘Sorry, you can’t go you’re not vaccinated.”