Editorial
Op-ed
Reckless stubbornness
As anticipated, Mayor Bill de Blasio
tweaked the city’s mask policies
on Monday — recommending that
everyone, including vaccinated New Yorkers,
wear face coverings in public indoor
settings.
The policy, however, is a recommendation
for the vaccinated, not the stringent mandate
that had been in place for months before it
was lifted back in May. Nonetheless, it is
based on the latest Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) guidance issued last week as the
nation struggles to combat another increase in
COVID-19 cases due to the highly-contagious
Delta variant.
For unvaccinated New Yorkers, however,
the story is different. They’re required to mask
up whenever they leave home. If they don’t
like the masks, the city has an answer for that:
Get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The question, of course, is why vaccinated
New Yorkers ought to mask up in public
indoor settings. The answer is that they can
still become infected with COVID-19, and
spread the virus to others unknowingly, even
if they did get the shot.
Does that mean the vaccine isn’t effective?
Of course not. In fact, the statistics show that
the COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective
treatment we have toward preventing serious
illness and death from infection.
While some media outlets focused on the
few thousand vaccinated people who wound
up becoming infected and symptomatic, the
actual data shows that more than 99% of all
vaccinated Americans have not been infected
at all. That’s 99% of about 180 million Americans
who’ve received the vaccine thus far.
Nothing is a sure thing, but the COVID-19
vaccine is about as close to a sure thing as
it gets.
Still, there’s that segment of the population
resistant to both masks and the vaccines who
bristle at the new recommendations and the
vaccine mandates as a violation of personal
liberty.
And their reckless stubbornness is not only
getting old, it’s now unnecessarily prolonging
this pandemic from which everyone (supposedly)
wants to move on.
If they don’t want governments telling
them what to do anymore, then they need to
find the wisdom to stop looking for reasons
to avoid doing the right thing. If everyone else
can roll up their sleeves voluntarily and take
their medicine, then so can they.
The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine
has shattered so much doubt about its use. It’s
time that everyone realizes that reality so we
can finally end this pandemic.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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Back-to-school is on
the horizon, so plan
ahead: get vaccinated
BY MEISHA PORTER AND DR.
DAVE CHOKSHI
In early July, we were elated to welcome
students to classrooms for Summer Rising,
the City’s free summer academic and
enrichment program. Children were clearly
excited to be back with their teachers and
friends, and those feelings have only grown
over the past few weeks. In an elementary
school in East Harlem, youngsters proudly
displayed the solar-powered ovens they’d built
to cook s’mores. In a school in Chinatown,
students gasped with joy over the “magical”
science experiments performed by Jason Latimer
of YouTube’s Impossible Science channel.
And in a school in the Bronx, students
dove into their lessons and demonstrated an
outdoor mindfulness activity.
Experiences like these are reflected in the
smiles of hundreds of thousands of children
who are in school to learn, play, connect, and
grow this summer. Both children and their
parents are grateful to have this bridge to the
next school year.
We see the first day of school—Monday,
September 13—as a homecoming. In fact, it
comes shortly afterNYC Homecoming Week,
a five-borough celebration of the city’s resilience
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we think ahead to the fall, the health and
safety of students and school communities are
at the forefront of our planning. We are asking
New Yorkers to help with a crucial part of this
work: get vaccinated. If your child is between
12 and 17 years old, August 9 is the last day for
your child to get the Pfizer vaccine in order to
be fully vaccinated in time for school.
This date is important to remember because
the vaccine for adolescents involves a
two-dose regimen, and it takes two weeks
from the second shot for someone to be considered
fully vaccinated. So, think of this as
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
your doctor’s orders: Schedule your vaccine
today if you have not already.
Safely and fully reopening schools this fall
is a milestone for our city, and we are eager to
see students back in their school communities.
We are doing everything in our power
to create a safe learning environment—from
disinfecting every school, to re-configuring
classrooms and improving ventilation, to
stocking up on face masks and hand sanitizer.
And last week, Mayor de Blasio announced
that school staff must show a one-time proof
of vaccination or weekly COVID-19 tests.
The new requirement recognizes that the
single most important way we can help our
children go back to learning, and save lives,
is with vaccination.
As parents ourselves, we know the
decision to vaccinate is important, and we
would do anything to protect our children.
The vaccine is safe and very effective. Over
250,000 young New Yorkers have now gotten
the shot.
At school, vaccination allows children
to be in the classroom, participate in afterschool
activities and sports, and gather with
friends—safely. It also provides a more stable
learning environment, (for example, students
who are considered fully vaccinated are not
required to quarantine).
We’re so excited to welcome all New York
City students back into classrooms in September.
Because of vaccination, our buildings
will soon be fully open and our young people
will be learning. We deeply appreciate the
partnership of the city’s families and the commitment
to keeping our school communities
safe and healthy.
Meisha Porter is Chancellor of the NYC
Department of Education.
Dave A. Chokshi, MD, MSc, is Commissioner
of the NYC Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene
88 Augustt 5,, 2021 SScchhnneeppss MMeeddiiaa
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