WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 10, 2022 17
Queens leaders outline priorities as city lifts COVID-19 requirements
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Two years after 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 effort 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 effort 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.”
The 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 case throughout
the pandemic, it will be critical
for the city to remain flexible 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, fitness
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. The 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.
“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 effect, the mayor said.
Under the rules, employees will still
be required to be vaccinated unless
they have received a reasonable accommodation
from their employer.
Several Queens leaders welcomed the announcement from Mayor Eric
Adams that the city would lift key COVID requirements.
Photo courtesy of mayor’s offi ce
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