'We want to see our babies' faces': NYC drops mask mandates for children under 5 years

Following weeks of pressure, New York City mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday that masks will soon no longer be required in public schools and daycare facilities for children ages 4 and under.

According to Adams, if COVID-19 trends continue, the face-covering mandate for New York's youngest children will be lifted on April 4.

“If the numbers continue to show a low level of risk, masks will be optional for 2- to 4-year-old students in schools and day care,” he told reporters at City Hall. “We want to see our babies’ faces.”

“Now it’s time to peel back another layer.”

Early in March, Adams removed the indoor face covering the requirement for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, but maintained it for children ages 4 and under and those in daycare centres, since they are not yet eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Students age 5 and older in New York City public schools have not had to wear masks since March 7.

A group of parents and students protested the masking mandate on Sunday in City Hall Park, urging mayor Adams to "unmask our toddlers." Weeks earlier, more than 20 top early education providers signed a letter urging Adams to end the masking mandate.

The protests followed Dr Ashwin Vasan, the city's new health commissioner's statement that he believes mask mandates for young children should continue indefinitely.

On Tuesday, Vasan endorsed Adams' decision, while cautioning that the regulations might need to be revisited.

“Less risk means more choices for New Yorkers about which precautions are mandatory and which are optional,” he told reporters. “If we see the levels of risk rise, either before or after the mandate is lifted, we may be here having another conversation.”

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“However, right now, we feel comfortable saying that if the risk level holds, masks can become optional for our youngest New Yorkers,” he added.

Mary Bassett, the state's top doctor, told reporters Monday that despite the recent spread of a highly contagious Omicron subvariant, she does not predict an explosion in COVID-19 cases.

Governor Kathy Hochul reported that the coronavirus positivity rate in New York state on Monday was 2 per cent, compared to 23 per cent in January when the Omicron surge was underway. On Sunday, the average for the previous seven days was 1.87 per cent, according to state data.

(With inputs from agencies)