NY Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul Urges Parents to Remask Their Toddlers

New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul this week encouraged parents to remask their toddlers to protect them from RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), contending that children are “more socialized to the idea of wearing a mask” anyway.

“Let’s talk about exactly what RSV is. These are the symptoms. I want parents be aware of that, usually fall and winter. It’s like a common cold, but it does hit younger children and it’s really frightening,” Hochul stated. “It’s not new at all. Something we’ve seen before.”

“Infants as young as six months old have been known to contract this. It’s hard to keep kids safe. Think about the fact that a year ago, before a year ago, a lot of kids were wearing masks in a daycare center or in schools and that did give them some level of protection,” Hochul said, failing to mention the studies showing that cloth and surgical masks were not effective at blocking exhaled aerosols. She also did not mention the fact that Dr. Anthony Fauci himself admitted in February 2020 that “the typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material.”

“We’re not mandating this,” she said, but she made it clear that she is strongly recommending parents remask their toddlers.

“What we’re saying, parents, you know, other kids, you got kids in school, preschool and got a baby at home, you really might just want to take these extra precautions,” she said, contending that children are already used to wearing masks due to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

“And by now kids are more socialized to the idea of wearing a mask. It’s not as strange to them, it not as if, ‘What is this all about?’ There’s a lot of cute masks out there, I’ve seen a lot of them. So that’s something I’m encouraging all parents to consider for their children right now,” she added, failing to mention the ongoing concerns about the effects of masking on childhood development, particularly for toddlers.

Hochul, who is facing off against Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, made it clear over the summer that she reserved “the right” to force students to mask up in school this fall, meaning that as long as the Democrat remains in office, that option is on the table in the Empire State.