38 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • MONTH DAY, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Queens parents, students and administrators off er mixed
reaction after NYC lifts mask mandate in public schools
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Queens residents are expressing mixed
reactions to the city lift ing the controversial
mask mandate in public schools across
the city starting Monday, March 7.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced
the news to no longer mandate
mask wearing in NYC public schools on
Sunday, Feb. 27. Adams said that since
there has been a low level of risk and no
unforeseen spikes in the past few weeks, he
feels there is no reason to continue requiring
masks in schools.
“Our schools have been among the safest
places for our children since the beginning
of the pandemic, and we will continue to
make the proper public health decisions
to keep our kids safe, including making
masks available for any child or school staff
member who wishes to continue wearing
them,” Adams said.
Th is decision has resulted in a sigh of
relief for some and outrage among others.
One parent in Middle Village who wished
to remain anonymous said that masks
should have never been mandatory in the
fi rst place.
“Masks don’t provide enough benefit
and only increased the levels of anxiety
due to social conformity,” the parent
said.
Sandy Jimenez, who has a 9-year-old
daughter at P.S. 199 Maurice A. Fitzgerald
in Sunnyside, said she is extremely nervous
about the safety and health of her child.
“I support the mask mandate. It keeps
everybody safe,” Jimenez said. “Th ere are
so many people together in one place at the
schools and you just don’t know the other
people and what safety measures they are
taking.”
Jimenez’s daughter, Emily, said that she
never likes to take off her mask in public.
“Students in my class have gotten coronavirus,”
Emily said. “I had to get tested
so many times at home. I will still wear a
mask.”
Others feel that lift ing school mask mandates
is a step toward normalcy. Governor
Kathy Hochul ended the mask mandate
statewide on March 2, aft er observing
COVID-19 data trends and consulting with
health and education experts.
“With more New Yorkers getting vaccinated,
and the steady decline over the past
several weeks in cases and hospitalizations
from omicron, we are now entering a new
phase of the pandemic. Because New Yorkers
have stepped up, we can confi dently
remove the statewide mask requirement
in our schools,” Governor Hochul said.
“Th is is a huge step forward for our kids
and communities and I am grateful to the
students, educators and parents for their
dedication to keeping us all safe — we’ve
reached this milestone because of your
hard work.”
New York currently has the highest
rate of adults fully vaccinated. In New
York City, about 86% of adults are fully
vaccinated, according to city data. About
55% of children ages 5 to 17 are fully vaccinated.
According to Hochul’s offi ce, the
state has experienced a 98% decline in
COVID-19 cases since the omicron peak
and a continuous downtrend in cases for
51 straight days.
Jesse Pachter, an assistant principal and
athletic director at Maspeth High School,
said he could not be more excited to greet
his students with a visible smile Monday
morning.
“I’m choosing to not wear a mask,”
Pachter said. “I think that walking into
school and seeing an administrator smiling
at you can start your day on a good foot
and some of these students haven’t been
able to see that their entire high school
experience.”
Pachter said he has gotten the sense that
many of his students and faculty are excited
to take their masks off come Monday.
“I think they’re excited about getting
to see their friends and their teachers,”
Pachter said. “I think being able to recognize
facial expressions and getting to
hear teachers more clearly is something
that a lot of people are looking forward
to.”
Photo via Getty Images
Despite many students and staff looking
forward to returning to some normalcy,
Pachter understands why some would still
choose to keep their masks on and respects
everybody’s decision.
One of his students, Veronica Witkowski,
a senior at Maspeth High
School, said that she will be keeping her
mask on due to apprehensions and an
immunocompromised family member.
“Personally, I don’t mind wearing it,”
Witkowski said. “I would rather look out
for the health of my family and others.
Everyone wants to get back to normal as
soon as possible and so do I. But I would
prefer to take more steps to be careful.”
Connie Altamirano, a community
advocate and member of the Community
Education Council 24, said that as
someone who is immunocompromised
and has a child with asthma, she does
not support lifting the mask mandate.
“I support the mask mandate to
protect our community and its most
vulnerable members,” Altamirano said.
“I know that my children will choose to
continue wearing their masks. When
my children feel ready and comfortable
enough to stop wearing masks they will
let me know and I will support them in
their decision. However, I want to be
clear that this is a decision that each
family should have the right to make
for themselves.”
New York City public schools students no longer have to wear masks in school as of March 7.
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