COMPTROLLER MYCHAJLIW SENDS LETTER TO CUOMO: UNMASK OUR CHILDREN

Hon. Andrew M. Cuomo

NYS State Capitol Building, Second Floor

Albany, NY 1224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

 Forcing children in school to wear masks at the height of upcoming summer months as heat and humidity increases is inhumane, irrational and cruel.  It borders on child abuse.  This is why I am calling on New York State to repeal any mask mandates for children, period, whether they apply to schools, summer camps or places of worship.  Please immediately repeal all mask mandates for kids now and especially for the start of the new school year in September 2021. 

 Many of our school buildings in Erie County are not air conditioned. The stifling heat combined with forcing a child to “mask up” puts them at risks far greater than catching or spreading COVID-19.  I’m also copying school boards and school superintendents on this correspondence, asking them to ignore mask mandates for children in schools.

 The risk to children to catch or transmit COVID-19 is practically non-existent.  Please don’t take my word for it.  You are the one that made this point very clearly:

 “The numbers show that the risk of transmission by children is extremely low, especially in this state, which has an extremely low positivity rate.”

Source: NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, “Governor Cuomo Announces School Districts Can Allow Students to Remove Masks Outdoors, www.governor.ny.gov, June 7^th, 2021 

 Forcing children to wear masks has nothing to do with their safety.  It is all about power and control exerted on them by adults.  Unfortunately, it also seems as though this mask mandate is a precursor to forcing young children to be vaccinated in order to attend public schools in New York State.  The health of children will continue to be put at risk by forcing them to wear masks in classrooms where the temperature, without air conditioning, can be over to 90 degrees.

 “When you're breathing through a mask you're having to work a little bit harder to breathe in the first place, especially depending on how thick your mask is.  And then the other thing is you're rebreathing some of your air, so it's heating it up a little bit.  So you've got not only the heat on the outside, but now you've got the heat inside the mask too."

Source: Dr. David Price, McMaster University, “High Heat, Humidity Can Be a Problem When Wearing a Mask Outdoors, Experts Say,” www.cbc.ca, May 27^th, 2020

 I respectfully ask you to revoke all mask mandates for children.  Allow them the freedom simply be kids.  If not, school districts must find the courage to ignore Albany mandates that harm children and puts their health at risk.

 Sincerely,

 Hon. Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr.

ERIE COUNTY COMPTROLLER

For pdf of letter, click HERE