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This week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state was reversing a requirement that children in child care wear masks as the country continues recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state announced that various health and child-welfare agencies “have jointly agreed to revise guidance allowing child care providers to continue the practices and protocols that have been in place since the start of the pandemic by encouraging, not requiring, children aged 2 through 5 to wear masks, effective immediately.’’
The move comes days after the New York Office of Children and Family Services said daycare and camp facilities in the state “must ensure” that the little kids “wear face coverings except when eating, drinking, showering, swimming, or sleeping/resting.”
“Anyone who has ever cared for a two-year-old knows how difficult it would be to implement [the previous state mask requirement], and asking a daycare worker to keep masks on a room full of toddlers all day is impractical,” said Democratic state Sen. Sean Ryan in a statement.
Hudson Valley county executives in Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Orange counties recently called for an end to the mask mandate.
“Childcare facilities throughout our community have worked diligently to employ common-sense practices to safeguard the children within their care, including health screenings, proper hygiene and cleaning, and cohorting,” they wrote. These measures have proven extremely effective in limiting transmission of disease in these settings.
“Local health departments remain committed to supporting the efforts of childcare programs in maintaining the health and wellbeing of children and staff and working closely with these entities.”
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who is reportedly considering a run at Cuomo’s seat in Albany, said that the original decision to require children to wear masks “never made any scientific sense.”
“Dutchess was among the first local governments to call on New York State to correct this inconsistency and made clear we would not enforce it,” he said in a statement. “I am heartened to see the State has listened to reason. We trust this will extend to all children in these safe settings.
“Clearly we are passed time New York end the declared state of emergency and allow local public health official do their jobs without heavy-handed state interference.”
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