A New York City mother criticized Mayor Eric Adams at a press conference on Monday over his refusal to rescind a school mask mandate for toddlers.
Daniela Jampel, a mother who has repeatedly spoken out against the toddler mask mandate, asked Adams why the mandate remained in effect after he indicated it could be rescinded.
While students in kindergarten through twelfth grade can come to school without masks in New York City, a mandate has remained in place for children ages 2-4, because no Covid vaccines are approved for children under age 5. A Staten Island judge blocked the mandate on Friday, calling it “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” however an appeals court stayed that order after the Adams administration contested it.
“Three weeks ago you told parents to trust you, that you would unmask our toddlers. Ten days ago you stood right here and you said that the masks would come off on April 4th,” Jampel said on Monday. “That has not happened, you reneged on your promise.”
Jampel noted that the Adams administration managed to stay a court order on Friday that would have blocked the toddler mask mandate. City Hall staffers attempted to stop Jampel upon realizing that she wasn’t a reporter, according the New York Post, however Adams interjected and asked to allow Jampel to finish speaking.
“So my questions are, what is the irreparable harm to children aged 2 to 4 take off their masks, just as they do in Long Island, just as they do in Westchester?” Jampel asked. “When will you—and when will you unmask our toddlers?”
Adams responded that while he initially stated that the mandate could be rescinded on April 4, “I also stated if we see an uptick” in Covid cases, “we will come back and make the announcement of what we’re going to do.”