FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 10, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
Queens leaders outline key priorities
as city lifts COVID-19 requirements
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Two years aft er the COVID-19 pandemic
forced Queens residents to change their
lives, key elected members of the borough’s
delegation on the City Council are calling
for clear communication and a focused
eff ort to address health and vaccination
disparities going forward.
Mayor Eric Adams announced on
March 4 that the city would halt its vaccine
requirement for indoor businesses
and drop the mask mandate for K-12
public school students beginning March 7.
“As New York City’s COVID-19 case
rates and hospitalizations continue to
decline, we have reason to be optimistic
about our city’s future because of the work
New Yorkers did to protect each other
and public health,” Speaker Adrienne
Adams said. “More than three-quarters
of all New Yorkers are fully vaccinated,
which has proven to save lives and prevent
the most severe impacts of the virus. Yet,
serious disparities still exist. In order to
address continued health inequities, the
city should enact a major eff ort to address
the stark disparities in vaccination rates
across school districts and communities.
Many communities of color have lower
vaccination rates, especially amongst
students in the neighborhood schools.”
Th e speaker noted that during the recent
omicron surge, Black New Yorkers
were twice as likely to be hospitalized for
COVID-19 as white New Yorkers, in part
believed to be due to the lower vaccination
rates and a legacy of health inequities.
“In areas that continue to be disproportionately
impacted and under-vaccinated,
we must invest in public health and
wellness,” Adams said. “As has been the
Several Queens leaders welcomed the announcement from Mayor Eric Adams that the city would lift key COVID requirements.
case throughout the pandemic, it will be
critical for the city to remain fl exible and
willing to allow the status of COVID’s
impact on our city to dictate our policies.
We must not be afraid to enact more
stringent policies if the public health
environment requires it, just as we cannot
fear loosening policies as conditions
improve.”
During his Times Square briefing
on March 4, the mayor announced that
starting today restaurants, fi tness facilities
and entertainment centers are no
longer required to ask patrons for proof
of vaccination at the door, however, he
said they still have the discretion to ask
customers about their vaccine status before
allowing them to enter. Th e mayor
added that public school students would
no longer be required to wear a mask but
children under 5 will still have to mask
up.
Photos courtesy of mayor’s offi ce
“New York is experiencing the lowest
COVID numbers since the start of the
pandemic and it seems a good time to
begin reducing restrictions, especially
for restaurants and other entertainment
venues which have suffered greatly,”
Health Committee Chair Lynn Shulman
said. “With that, it is important to
always follow the science, and explore
creating guidelines for future healthcare
measures based on case levels and other
appropriate criteria.”
All other COVID-19 mandates will
remain in eff ect, the mayor said. Under
the rules, employees will still be required
to be vaccinated unless they have received
a reasonable accommodation from their
employer.
“COVID-19 has been ever-evolving
forcing us to constantly adjust but we
are resilient,” said Councilman Francisco
Moya, chair of the Subcommittee on COVID
19 Recovery and Resiliency. “Two
years ago we did not have the tools and
lessons learned to protect ourselves and
others. As we move forward, we need to
continue to monitor the trends and new
variants to ensure that we can pilot as
needed to protect our most vulnerable
communities, our families, our local
businesses and the recovery of our city.”
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