NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Mayor-elect Eric Adams said Sunday he hopes to be able to lift mask mandates in public schools by the end of the academic year thanks to pediatric COVID-19 vaccines.
“Let's follow the science. But I hope so," Adams said, when asked if he'd lift the mandate before summer break while appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union.” "I think part of the development and socialization of a child is that smile."
“I look for that smile when I go visit schools. Not being able to see the smiles of our children, I believe it has a major impact, and not only that, not being able to identify the child,” he added.
Adams’ stance splits with that of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who on Thursday said he’d keep the mandate in place.
“I would say my general view is, out of an abundance of caution, I would keep the masks in place at least in the short term,” de Blasio said during a news conference, “because they really worked and because the kids have adapted to them well, the adults have adapted to them well.”
The focus on school masks comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
Adams also spoke to his bizarre request to receive his first three paychecks as mayor in Bitcoin and offered his opinions on the national issues plaguing Democrats. Vaccine sites will open to children in New York Monday.
Adams said Democrats across the country need to get “back to the basics” of delivering services to constituents and continue to message their victory in passing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
“Well, I believe, clearly, we should be known for what we did, the infrastructure bill,” Adams said. “That is what we must use as the blueprint, doing real things.”
On Bitcoin, Adams said he wanted to show that the city was open to new technology.
“I wanted to send a signal. This city was the Empire State. We made empires. Now we are destroying empires every day,” Adams said. “This is a center of innovation, self-driving cars, drone development, cybersecurity, life sciences.”
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