New York City public school children head to their first day of class without masks.

A current research from the state well being division discovered that, as with adults, most youngsters hospitalized for or with Covid-19 have been unvaccinated. The report additionally discovered that youngsters aged 4 or youthful, who aren’t eligible for coronavirus vaccines, have been overrepresented amongst all pediatric hospitalizations. Masks are nonetheless required in New York Metropolis for youngsters ages 2 to 4 in kindergarten and preschool school rooms.

The United Federation of Lecturers, which represents town’s public college educators, mentioned on Friday that it supported shifting to a system the place masks are optionally available. President Michael Mulgrew known as it “the accountable, considerate method to make our subsequent transition.”

Even so, the union burdened the significance of sustaining a sturdy in-school and take-home coronavirus testing program, to make sure that town, with multiple million youngsters in its public colleges, remained “on the proper path.”

Some dad and mom, public well being specialists, and native officers have mentioned that it was too early to ease restrictions, and a few have urged youngsters and lecturers to proceed to put on masks.

With the statewide mandate gone, some districts started going maskless final week.

A sophisticated combination of feelings was on show on the Cynthia Jenkins Elementary College within the Springfield Gardens neighborhood of Queens, the place about 11 p.c of the college’s college students are absolutely vaccinated.

Natalie Charles, the mom of a second-grader, Ethan Scarlett, mentioned that she was not totally snug with dropping masks. “That is what I informed him, you need to maintain the masks on,” she mentioned, including that her total household was vaccinated.

Ms. Charles puzzled why the masks mandate was ending whereas colleges have been nonetheless testing college students. These contradictory indicators helped result in her determination, she mentioned.

A barely shy Ethan, 7, simply nodded whereas masked, agreeing along with his mom.

Sadef Ali Kully, Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Adeel Hassan contributed reporting.