Just when you thought city vaccine mandate debates were waning.
A powerful pair of elected city officials — Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Comptroller Brad Lander — are calling on Mayor Eric Adams to require coronavirus vaccines for city school kids next year.
In a joint statement, Williams and Lander demanded “a requirement for full COVID vaccination for students to return to school next fall, as part of the City’s standard vaccination requirements.”
Adams, along with Gov. Kathy Hochul, have both previously signaled their support for a school vaccine mandate.
“We know vaccination saves lives, so let’s make clear now that it will be required for entry to school next fall,” Lander said in a statement.
Williams said COVID-19 drawdowns must be “guided by the science, not the calendar.”
The Department of Education revealed last week that 52 percent of eligible city kids aged five and older are fully vaccinated.
The duo also called for the DOE to provide options for “teachers and students who wish to remain in all-masked classrooms.”
Williams and Lander warned that the city must remain ready to tackle the onset of another COVID-19 variant and maintain widespread coronavirus testing capacities.
Adams is expected to lift indoor school masking mandates on Friday as the city attempts to restore some semblance of normalcy in the wake of the pandemic.
City Hall said Thursday that kids aged four and under will still have to wear masks in their early education schools because they are not eligible to be vaccinated.
