New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking to lift school mask mandates and a vaccine-pass requirement on city businesses March 7 so long as virus numbers remain steady over the coming week.
The Democratic mayor said Monday that shedding masks will be a symbol the city is revving back to life as he insists on improving foot traffic in the city to bolster its financial condition.
“New York is going to come back and be part of the economy,” Mr. Adams told CNBC after ringing the opening bell on Wall Street.
The mayor cited high levels of vaccination and decreasing spread of the coronavirus in announcing the change late Sunday, saying previous rules had a positive impact and it was time to give people a break as he tries to rejuvenate the city.
City schoolchildren returned to classes Monday after a week off. Mr. Adams said they will see how things go and make a decision on masks on Friday.
“If we see no unforeseen spikes and our numbers continue to show a low level of risk, New York City will remove the indoor mask mandate for public school children, effective next Monday, March 7,” he said.
The mayor announced the expected change after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said schools would no longer be legally required to mandate masks as of Wednesday, citing the state’s low-risk status under new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mr. Adams also said if there are “no surprises,” he will lift the Key2NYC requirements that former Mayor Bill de Blasio established last year that require gyms, bars and restaurants and entertainment venues to check vaccine cards at the door.
“This will give business owners the time to adapt and will allow us to ensure we are making the best public health decisions for the people of New York,” he said. “All other vaccine mandates in New York City will remain in place at this time as they are, and have been, vital to protecting New Yorkers.”
A flurry of blue states rushed to relax COVID-19 mandates on a pandemic-weary public over the past month as the omicron surge eases. Daily average cases are down to about 65,000 nationwide after peaking at around 800,000 in mid-January.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently moved to lift vaccination requirements at businesses and a general indoor mask mandate, citing the improving picture.
New York City still has a vaccine mandate on any worker who reports to a job site or interacts with the public.
Mr. Adams said he won’t push for an exemption for NBA star Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets player who is unable to play home games because of his unvaccinated status.
“It would send the wrong message just to have an exception for one player when we’re telling a countless number of New York City employees, ’If you don’t follow the rules, we won’t be able to be employed,’” Mr. Adams told CNBC.
He also defended prior mandates as the foundation for the city’s improved outlook.
“We are here right now opening our city because of vaccine mandates,” Mr. Adams said. “We can’t close again. I can’t have my city close down.”
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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