Hours after a Staten Island judge blocked New York City’s school mask mandate for children ages two to five on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would appeal the decision.
Adams said at a press conference that toddlers should keep wearing masks because there is currently no Covid vaccine available for that age group. While Adams had previously indicated that the city would end the mandate if Covid cases declined, the number of cases in the city has risen slightly over the past few weeks, driven by the BA.2 omicron subvariant of Covid.
“You should keep your masks on your children,” Adams said.
Meanwhile, Staten Island Supreme Court judge Ralph Porzio on Friday sided with parents who brought a lawsuit against the preschooler mask mandate on March 10. Porzio wrote in his ruling that the mandate is “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” declaring the requirement “void and unenforceable.”
Adams said the city will “comply” with the order while putting together an appeal.
“Our plans were to take a week to assess the numbers before removing masks from two to four years old, but of course we’re going to comply with any ruling from the judge,” the mayor told reporters. “Our legal team is going to put in place an appeal and ask for a stay.”
New York City ended its school mask mandate for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade on March 4, after New York governor Kathy Hochul lifted a statewide school mask mandate. Children ages five and up are authorized to receive a Covid vaccine.