BUFFALO (WBEN) - Parents, childcare providers, and even local politicians are not happy about a new mandate requiring children 2 and older to wear masks at childcare facilities and summer camps.
The New York State Department of Health announced new mandate earlier this week, and all parties are baffled.
"I don't understand the logic behind it," said Danielle Kinsman, owner of Jumped Up Jellybeans. "If this was a safety concern, it should have been from day one, not a year and some change in. Parents are not necessarily responding very well to it."
One such parent is Jennifer Edmonds, who released the following complaint:
"I am writing in response to the new NYS guidance on child care centers that
went out today regarding covid 19 requirements being placed on children ages 2 and up. I believe the state owes us answers as to why now, over a year
later, children in child care centers suddenly need to wear masks all day.
This seems unreasonable.
The covid rates are very low right now and children have been proven to be low risk for covid. We have over a years worth of proof that children were hardly impacted and more importantly my children have been attending a child care center full-time without masks since the pandemic started with no issues. If we are following the science, why the change now? Furthermore, it is NOT any child’s responsibility to wear masks because adults refuse to get vaccinated. There is more than enough vaccine supply for anyone to get it that wants it. Just because people are refusing to get the vaccine does not mean our children should suffer the consequences.
The state needs to show us what “science” indicates masking 2-5 year olds
is now required. In my opinion, no child should have to wear a mask. And,
please, NY state don’t tell me my child needs to wear a mask to protect
other adults from getting it. If an adult chooses not to get vaccinated, they
understand the risks and have every right not to get vaccinated. This is
absurd. Enough already."
The confusion extends even further for the kids, as toddler rooms include children under the age of 2, meaning in a given classroom, some have to wear masks while others don't.
"It's hot, and it's very hard, especially with toddlers, to see if their nose is running, to understand what they're saying," Kinsman continued. "In the toddler room, the age range is 18 months to 3 years, so only half of the class, and in my specific situation two children out of the five, have to wear masks. How do you explain that to toddlers?"
Several local politicians, including State Assemblymember Monica Wallace and State Senator Rob Ortt, also weighed in on the mandate, both calling for immediate revisions to the order.
State Senator Sean Ryan agreed with his colleagues, unsure why such a dramatic change was dropped on everybody.
"Whoever says a 2 year old should wear a mask has never met or cared for a 2 year old," said Ryan. "It's hard to get 2 year olds to keep their shoes on or their hats on let alone a mask all day, so I think it's a misguided policy, and I hope the State Department of Health takes a long look at that."
When asked why kids are now required to wear masks just as adults are starting to take them off, Ryan really didn't have an explanation.
"Who knows," he replied. "They're reshuffling the deck constantly, so we're reopening and reassessing risk, looking at where recent infections have been, but if we have infections in daycare centers, it's not the kids, it's coming from the adults."
Ortt's statement:
Governor Cuomo’s newest order -- a mask mandate for children as young as two years-old in daycare settings -- is just the latest gross overreach by him and his disgraced Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.
At a time when even the Governor is signaling that mask wearing may soon be a thing of the past, it is baffling that this Administration is mandating something that has no basis in science or data.
It’s time for the Governor and his team to get back in touch with reality and reverse this mandate immediately. If they do not, the Legislature must act.
Wallace's statement:
Yesterday, New York State released updated guidance on safety protocols for childcare programs and summer camps that blindsided many providers and parents. Under the new regulations, children as young as 2 are required to wear masks in most indoor and group settings, which is an abrupt reversal from previous guidance. Childcare providers and the Office of Children and Family Services were not consulted in the process of drafting the guidance, creating needless confusion and contradictory new rules. Additionally, the new guidance, which is effective immediately, gives childcare and summer camp providers no time to review or implement the guidance.
I have already reached out to the Governor’s office to relay the frustration currently being experienced by stakeholders and parents, and I urged the Governor and the Department of Health to immediately revise safety guidance for day care and summer camps to be consistent with or less restrictive than earlier guidance.