20 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 17, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
New York state’s mask mandate for most indoor public settings is coming to an end again, but New Yorkers should continue
— because the vaccines and
treatments saved lives.
So should New Yorkers continue
to mask up? Yes, as long
as the CDC advises it. Yes, if it
Photo via Getty Images
Story: Queens native opens new sports bar and
restaurant in Forest Hills in time for Super Bowl
Summary: On Feb. 11, Rego Park resident Manish Chadha
opened up Roam at 107-12 70th Rd. in Forest Hills.
According to the sports bar’s owner, Roam aims to act
as a “living room” for locals, complete with live music,
entertainment and nightly specials.
Reach: 29,538 (as of 02/14/22)
Breathing easier?
New York state’s mask mandate
COVID-19 and lessening infection
or preventing it altogether.
Th e arrival of eff ective new
antiviral COVID-19 medication
from Pfi zer and Merck also gives
doctors the power to treat someone
at the early onset of the virus
and help them avoid suff ering
serious or even fatal infections.
Mask usage, if you recall, came
about in the spring of 2020 as
the nation bore the deadly brunt
of COVID-19.
At the time, not even the best
medical experts had an answer
for the virus; there was no proven
eff ective treatment, and no
vaccine had yet been developed.
Doctors could treat the symptoms
for the most ill patients,
but had no way to actually wipe
the virus out.
But now, the miracles of modern
medicine and technology
have given us the tools that we
need to stop COVID-19 from
incurring the carnage we experienced
two years ago.
Th e Omicron outbreak proved
that; even as the virus spread
like wildfi re across New York
and sickened tens of thousands
of people, neither hospitals nor
morgues became overcrowded
THE QUEENS
for most indoor public
settings is coming to an end
again, Governor Kathy Hochul
said last week, as COVID-19
cases continue to drop across
the Empire State following that
sharp Omicron variant-fueled
spike during the holidays.
Th e same mandate for schools
may also go by the wayside following
the mid-winter recess
toward the end of the month,
Hochul noted. Th at all depends,
of course, on the state of
COVID-19 in the Empire State
by that point.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention continues
to recommend that all
Americans, regardless of vaccine
status, wear masks in indoor settings
for safety’s sake. At this
point in the pandemic, now
approaching the start of its third
year, it’s wise to ask whether a
mask mandate should ever be
reinstated.
Th e good news, at this point, is
that we now have at our disposal
medicine that’s proven eff ective
in combating COVID-19. Th e
vaccine has done wonders in
battling the diff erent variants of
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gives New Yorkers a sense of
comfort.
Hopefully, we’re past the period
when masks are a must. And
the more of us who trust the
science, get the vaccine/booster
and accept treatment if sick with
COVID, the greater the chances
we can put the masks behind us
for good very soon.
to mask up as long as the CDC advises it.
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