The Department of Education just released data on vaccination rates at city schools and ours have the highest rates of any elementary school in the borough (only a couple high schools, like Wagner, were higher) and a quick scan through the spreadsheet looks like our rates are the highest in the city.
More than 90 percent of students at PS 234 have one dose (83 percent have two) out of 453 students over age 5. PS 150 has a rate of 85 percent with one dose (out of 139 kids) and PS 89 has a rate of 86 percent (out of 312 students).
The state also just lifted the mask mandate for schools as of tomorrow, and Eric Adams said the city will likely follow suit, after checking data on cases following last week’s February break.
“At the end of this week, we will evaluate the numbers and make a final announcement 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.” Of course kids and staff members who want to continue wearing them can.
While we are on the topic, the city is also going to lift the “Key to NYC” mandates on March 7 should numbers continue to fall. You can see those here, but it is mostly the vaccination requirements at restaurants and entertainment venues for workers and patrons. (That makes no sense to me. I would lift the mask requirement at theaters and keep the vaccination requirement…)
No sense to me re dropping vaccine requirement indoor venues. Disappointing to say the very least. Disparities in city in equity much lower vaccination rate among children. TriBeCa is fortunate.
End of school masking: just a political move to make lifting of other pandemic reqs seem more palatable. Even kids see though it. They also recall the April 2020 surge – which incubated in these very same weeks.
I agree that dropping the vaccine mandate is a bad idea, and it does seem politically motivated to me given how unpopular these mandates are among a certain occupational groups and other portions of the electorate
However, dropping the mask mandates, especially in schools, are long overdue. There is little evidence, especially during the omicron, they these mandates had any effectiveness:
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59895934
with all that’s going on in the world right now, this is a bit of fantastic news. it’s time.
thanks for sharing this.
How do the numbers include infections that were positive from home tests? If vaccine and mask wearing decisions are made on the numbers, isn’t this misleading. I consider myself fairly careful with mask wearing and I was vaccinated and boosted. Last week I was positive with Covid for the first time. And I’m fairly certain it was because I slipped and didn’t wear a mask in a situation that previously required mask wearing. In my opinion, the numbers aren’t telling the complete story of cases.
Wishing you an easy recovery process.
We aren’t out of the woods yet.
Totally agree with you about lifting the mask mandate at theaters and keeping the vaccine mandate.