Official Says New York Schoolchildren Could go Maskless ‘Soon’

Even if your child isn't vaccinated, it's likely that they won't be wearing a mask in school for much longer.

That's the prediction of Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro who says these regulations are currently unnecessary in a school setting. On Wednesday morning Molinaro celebrated the progress the Hudson Valley has made as mask mandates were officially lifted throughout the state at most places in the community.

Schools, however, are one of the places that still require masks for individuals regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. The reasoning behind this is that many children are still ineligible to receive the vaccine. Molinaro, however, doesn't believe that this is necessary because of the data and science that shows how unlikely it is for COVID-19 to spread in a controlled environment.

We know in a school setting it's unlikely a student will transmit the virus to person in the structured environment of a classroom.

Molinaro believes the governor will also be on board with this idea as the practice of not wearing masks in public settings becomes more accepted. The county executive says that students will most likely have to "ride out the school year" wearing masks, but come September those restrictions will officially be lifted whether students are vaccinated or not.

As for mandating the vaccine for school-aged children, Molinaro believes that won't even be an issue by the time children under 12 are able to receive a shot. The county executive says that's because the Hudson Valley and New York State is on track to have over 70% of the population vaccinated by the summer, the magic number that begins to approach herd immunity.

Do you think mask mandates should end for school children sooner than later? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below or on our Facebook page.