School superintendents across the state want Gov. Kathy Hochul to set some definite statistical goal that would result in the end of the mask mandate in schools.
Hochul seems most interested in one specific metric – the number of children vaccinated against the virus – as the one that would trigger any decision to unmask New York's children.
Hochul's mask mandates, imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the winter surge caused by the Omicron variant of the virus, currently are supposed to expire Thursday for indoor public places and Feb. 21 in schools.
Hochul never has set a definite statistical goal that must be met to end those mandates.
"I can't sit here today and say I have a number where magic is going to happen," Hochul told The Buffalo News Jan. 24. "I don't think it's too many more weeks out in the future, maybe a few more months, I'm not sure. But there will come a time."
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“While we continue to make progress against Omicron, there is no single metric or threshold that will tell us when we can safely stop requiring masks. Covid-19 transmission remains high, and too many New Yorkers remain unvaccinated, especially kids," the state Health Department said in a prepared statement Saturday.
The spike in Covid cases caused by Omicron is disappearing almost as rapidly as it emerged.
On Friday, according to data released by Hochul's office, the statewide positivity rate sank to 3.76%, down from a record of 23.2% on Jan. 2. It was the first time since Nov. 26 that the statewide daily percentage of positive Covid tests was less than 4%.
In Western New York, defined by the state as Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, Thursday's tests showed a 7.8% positivity rate, down from an all-time record of 23.3% on Jan. 7. The last time the region's rate was below 8% was on Dec. 18.
Erie County's Friday positivity rate was 7.6%, according to the county Health Department.
“So we're getting there, but I would love to see that trend line of younger children more vaccinated as we start making decisions about schools," Hochul said Friday in Kingston.
"So that's a message to all parents and school leaders and teachers and influencers, that the more children we have vaccinated, the safer they'll be when they go to school, and get to the time we get to when they won't need a mask anymore, which we're striving for, but we're just not there yet," Hochul said. "But let's know that there's a very safe way to get there. And that is getting more kids vaccinated."
Statewide statistics show that as of Thursday, 37.1% of children ages 5 to 11 had received at least one vaccine dose, and 28.8% had completed a vaccine series.
For 12- to 17-year-olds, 75.5% have received a jab, while 67.7% have completed a series.
In Western New York, 34.6% of 5- to 11-year-olds and 62.1% of 12- to 17-year-olds have received at least one dose. Full series have been completed by 28.3% of 5- to 11-year-olds and 57.3% of those ages 12 to 17.
Last week, 51 Western New York school superintendents signed letters urging Hochul to make definite plans for how and when the mask mandate will end. The New York State Council of School Superintendents did likewise in a letter to Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett.
"We believe we have now reached the time where the state needs to transition schools out from a pandemic learning environment," the state superintendents' group wrote.
"We have deferred to public health experts when it comes to universal masking and rules for indoor settings, and we do not seek to engage in a debate on its merits. The critical issue with mandatory masking in schools at this moment is the urgent need for school leaders and parents to know the plan moving forward with concrete assurances from the state," the superintendents' council wrote.
Their letter called for "clear guidance on universal school mask requirements and when and how those will evolve. The best way to do this is to provide reasonable, understandable and achievable metrics based on recommendations from medical professionals for when masking rules will eventually be changed. Absent this clarity, families might assume that current rules and regulations will continue in perpetuity," the superintendents' group wrote.
"Gov. Hochul and the Department of Health remain committed to doing everything possible to keep children, teachers and staff safe, and our schools open," a Hochul spokesman said Saturday. "As the governor has done throughout the pandemic, we will continue working with superintendents, school leaders, and parents and guardians to monitor Covid rates and protect the health and safety of everyone in our schools."
Assemblywoman Monica P. Wallace, D-Cheektowaga, joined the superintendents in looking toward an end to masking.
"Now that cases are declining, I encourage the Department of Health to heed this request and develop metrics for determining when discretion will be returned to local school districts," Wallace wrote Friday to Hochul and Bassett.
"We need public health guidance that balances the risk of infection with the need to maintain the mental health and well-being of our children," Wallace's letter said.
Wallace and the statewide superintendents' group both warned that the public's patience is running out.
"Requiring masks in schools regardless of declining or low infection rates will only frustrate the public, sow mistrust, and lead many to disregard any future public health measures that may become necessary," Wallace wrote.
"We believe thoughtful changes now could help to sustain acceptance of masking and other rules while they remain necessary," the superintendents' council wrote. "It is crucial to recognize that rules which defy common sense or are inconsistently applied threaten to undermine public acceptance of all rules, including those that remain essential."
On Jan. 24, a judge in Nassau County invalidated Hochul's mask mandates, saying they violated a state law passed in early 2021 that took away many of the governor's powers to impose such orders without State Legislature consent.
There were reports of many Western New York children going to school without masks the next day.
However, the Hochul administration won an appellate ruling that allowed the mask mandates to stay in place while it fights the Nassau ruling. On Jan. 28, Hochul extended the indoor business mask mandate to Feb. 10.
That has produced signs on store doors telling customers to wear masks, but Hochul left enforcement up to county governments, most of which have not lifted a finger to enforce her order.
However, Democratic Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz imposed his own public mask mandate before Hochul did.
Thursday, the County Legislature voted along party lines – seven Democrats vs. four Republicans – not to take away Poloncarz's emergency powers.
