New York City’s public school system is moving one step closer to normalcy after it announced that it would be ending its outdoor mask mandate for students.

“I am so pleased that we are able to make this exciting announcement and safely allow students and staff to remove their masks when outdoors at NYC public schools," Schools Chancellor David Banks said on Friday.

New York’s move to rescind the mask mandate comes only a month after the district, the largest in the U.S., was up to its neck in concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The city and state experienced a surge in cases between late November and January, prompting former city Mayor Bill de Blasio to call on President Joe Biden for federal help.

New York City teachers clamored for the new administration of Mayor Eric Adams to allow them to bring back remote learning options until the situation subsided. Adams resisted, arguing that remote learning was more harmful to children’s development than returning to class with precautions in place.

“I’m not going to allow the hysteria to prevent the future of my children receiving a quality education," Adams said at the time. "The safest place for children right now is in a school."

Adams’ judgment that living with the virus rather than reimposing harsher restrictions appears to have paid off. As of Feb. 22, the total cases of confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 stands at 694, down significantly from the 60,634 cases the city saw at the peak of Omicron on Jan. 3, two days after Adams took office.

New York City is keeping in place its indoor mask mandate for students and staff for the time being. On Feb. 9, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ended the state’s indoor mask mandate, but she allowed discretion for local jurisdictions to impose restrictions where and when necessary.

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