Even before his first day in office, Mayor Eric Adams has been known to prefer the company of the city’s celebrities, spending time at famous night clubs. Shortly after his election, Vanity Fair wrote that the mayor “parties with CEOs and rappers—and insists that nightlife will be part of his day job.”
Given his preference for celebrity friends, is it any wonder Adams is focused more on appeasing celebrity ball players than on removing masks from toddlers? After criticism from NBA and MLB began stacking up, Adams responded saying he’d find a solution. But what about parents of young children, who have been asking for relief from unscientific mask mandates for two years?
The Daily Mail reports on the anger of NYC parents, writing:
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been blasted for teasing an end to vaccine mandates for professional athletes – while continuing to order under-5’s to wear masks at school.
On Wednesday, the mayor promised to work out a solution with Major League Baseball to figure out how to get players without their shots off the bench by the time the season starts on April 7 for the Yankees or April 15 for the Mets, but he refuses to budge unmasking tykes.
Explaining his controversial plans at a press conference Wednesday, Adams said: ‘We are going to do an analysis,’ the mayor said. ‘Baseball season is not tomorrow. It’s not next week. We are going to work this out, where we will ensure the safety of New Yorkers without continuing the spread of COVID.
‘I’m looking forward to speaking to Major League Baseball as we put our heads together with our medical team and figure out how we come up with a solution here. That’s my goal.’
But parents were quick to anger at Adams’ words. ‘I think he’s under estimating how mad parents are,’ Washington Heights mom Emily Rubinstein, 38, told DailyMail.com. ‘The priorities are totally messed up. We’re talking about a few dozen guys who are exceptional at sports.’
Adams has ignored the groundswell of discontent from parents over keeping mask mandates for children ages five and under because COVID vaccines have not been approved for that group.
He has done so despite CDC stats showing just how low the risk of a serious infection in that group is. A total of 347 children aged between 0 and four have died of COVID since the pandemic began, out of close to a million Americans recorded as dying of the virus.
The World Health Organization advises that kids in that age group should not wear face coverings because they are not considered effective. Some experts have warned that they can even stunt youngster’s development, by making it harder for them to read expressions.
A group of parents showed up to City Hall and threatened to take the mayor to court over keeping their children covered.
‘Men who make many, many millions of dollars who got to go to pre-k unmasked are not my problem, I don’t have space in my brain for that,’ Rubinstein, who’s an epidemiologist, said.
‘He has the power to unmask these kids, and he’s choosing not to because 3 and 4 year-olds don’t get to vote.’
A Yankees spokeswoman told the Daily News on Tuesday that General Manager ‘Randy Levine is working with City Hall and all other appropriate officials on this matter.’
Under a mandate put in place by ex-mayor Bill de Blasio, all private employers must require vaccinations for their employees to show up to work.
That includes Mets and Yankees and Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who can’t play with his team because he refuses to get his shots.
The mayor has slowly eased pandemic requirements, allowing diners to go to restaurants and sports fans to hit the arenas without showing proof of vaccination or wear masks, but tykes must wear their masks in Pre-K, Three-K and day care because city health officials say the infection rates have trended up in that age group.
The mortality rate for Covid-19 is infinitesimal, .026 percent of all pandemic deaths, according to the American Academy for Pediatricians.
Kids get sick, Rubinstein says, but one thing is certain, her 5-year-old daughter Lily’s mask isn’t preventing infection.
‘My daughter’s wearing a mask from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.’ she said. ‘It’s wet it’s saggy and its not doing anything. We’re not going to talk about the petri dish that’s strapped to her face.’
‘Given the way she’s masking, this is a decorative activity,’ she said.
Rubinstein has also noticed other kids getting off the bus for the Washington Heights YMCA day care where her daughter goes also don’t wear their masks properly.
Nevertheless, Adams said that he would find a way to work with the city’s pro sports teams.
‘We are going to continue to peel back,’ he said, but cautioned that he wouldn’t rush the solution until he found the right one. ‘I’m not going to be rushed based on a season schedule. I’m going to do this right for the people of this city, and I’m not focused on one individual. I’m focused on 9 million people.’
It seemed clear from his statements that his team at City Hall were working much harder to accommodate pitchers and catchers than unmasking toddlers.
Action Line: Americans are tired of unscientific rules being forced on them and their families by politicians in big blue blob cities like NY. If you’re stuck in a city or state where politicians care more about their donors and celebrity friends than about you and your family, it’s time to look for a better America. Start your search with my Super States. If you’re serious about finding the best place for you and your family and need help, click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, where I’ll explain what makes my Super States such great destinations for you and your business. But only if you’re serious.
