If you didn’t read between the lines of Governor Murphy’s unmasking executive order, you probably missed the part where it says children will have to wear face masks on hot summer days in summer camp this year. Now, Senator Kristin Corrado is drafting legislation that would lift the masks from the faces of young children at summer camps.
Corrado moved to introduce the bill after Governor Murphy announced intentions to remove indoor mask mandates Friday. There are some exceptions, and masks would still be required at youth summer camps, including outdoors.
“Murphy’s logic escapes me,” said Corrado. “Data has shown that children are less susceptible to the virus, and the majority of summer camp activities are conducted outside, where the threat of transmission is minimal.
“It seems unnecessary and insensitive to demand that young kids wear a face covering when they are running around in the summer heat,” continued Corrado. “This is so counter-intuitive to efforts to return our state to some semblance of normalcy.”
Under Corrado’s bill, youngsters in a camp setting could go without masks when they are outdoors, and vaccinated children wouldn’t be required to wear them inside.
“Right now, all the signs are positive,” Corrado said. “More than 4 million New Jerseyans have been fully vaccinated. New COVID cases are down, hospitalizations and deaths are down, the rate of transmission is down. There’s no need for children to be hiding behind grimy, sweaty masks when they are playing kickball at camp.”