Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I-Schoharie) was joined by lawmakers and parental advocates on Wednesday at a press conference to announce a bill he recently introduced to unmask children in schools, summer camps and similar settings while prohibiting state agencies from implementing rules or regulations that mandate the masking of healthy, asymptomatic individuals under the age of 18. Tague and others urged that the bill be voted on before the end of the legislative session, tomorrow, on June 10.

“Children are confused, scared and exhausted,” said Tague. “Many of us couldn’t fathom wearing a mask in a room with no air conditioning for hours at a time, yet we’re telling them they have to keep wearing their masks even as adults in their lives begin taking theirs off in public places.”

As of June 2, New York state’s seven-day average positivity rate was the lowest in the nation at 0.64 percent, and hospitalizations dropped to under 1,000 for the first time since October 2020. Vaccination rates in New York have remained higher than the national average among adults, and there is little evidence COVID-19 spreads significantly within schools.

“The data is clear, positivity rates in our state have plummeted, and in the months since the pandemic started, we’ve learned that children in schools don’t spread COVID-19 much at all. Even before children were forced to wear masks, transmission was insignificant in schools. The time has come for our kids to be freed from this harmful and pointless mandate, so I implore Gov. Cuomo, Health Commissioner Zucker and my colleagues in the Majority to do what’s right and unmask our kids now, without further delay,” said Tague.

"The Cuomo Administration's back-and-forth reversals on masks in schools has resulted in unnecessary confusion and left children, parents and administrators with no clear direction. For the governor to come out and claim 'there was no confusion' demonstrates how out of touch he is with the people and professionals impacted by these shifting directives. We're talking about our children and essential school protocols. Is it too much to ask for some coordination and clarity? After 15 months under a state of emergency, it's time to let local entities and stakeholders make their own decisions instead of waiting for more arbitrary orders from Albany. We need to unmask our children now!" said Minority Leader William Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski).