The mayor said he meets daily with health experts, who have provided structure and benchmarks the city should meet before returning to pre-pandemic normalcy.”We can’t close down again and I’m not going to do something at my anticipation to get back that’s going to jeopardize closing down the city again,” Adams said.”Our economy can’t handle it.We don’t have another $11 billion to put back in the economy.We must do it the smart way.” New York Gov.Kathy Hochul allowed the statewide mask policy to expire following a temporary extension into February as cases dropped.The mandate had also been subject to a legal challenge.Public health experts previously cautioned to NBC News that the pandemic is not over yet and surges have come and gone over the past two years.
“This seems like a move to promote normalcy without there really being normalcy,” said Dr.Sadiya Khan, an epidemiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.“Vaccine mandates are safe and effective public health strategies, and backing down on this is likely to worsen spread.” While more than 96 percent of adults in New York City have been at least partially vaccinated, experts have still warned that risks remain to those who are immunocompromised or who cannot be vaccinated.There is currently no vaccine approved for children under the age of 5, as Pfizer recently pulled its plan to ask for authorization from the Federal Drug Administration as it waits for more data on a potential three-dose series..
