Advocates for the disabled and immunocompromised say Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to drop the mask mandate on public transit was based on politics. 'This truly makes me feel like the city and state don’t care about disabled lives.'
Some experts believe if there’s another surge in cases during the winter, it could be harder to get the public to mask up again.
“You said, ‘you do you,’ or you said ‘it doesn’t really matter,’ so it’s not really looking at the long-term effects,” said Bruce Y. Lee, a professor at CUNY’s School of Public Health.But Jay Van Bavel, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at NYU, doubted the poster would have any significant effect on straphanger behavior.
“My guess is that it isn’t going to matter much what they do in these ads,” Van Bavel said. “A lot of little nudges tend to not be effective in changing people’s behavior, especially as the pandemic has gone on, people tend to become more entrenched in some of their practices and beliefs around it.” People who use the MTA’s Access-a-Ride program, a van or car service that MTA is legally mandated to provide because the subways aren’t fully accessible, feel particularly vulnerable now. Many of the customers are elderly or have a disability that puts them at high risk for COVID-19 complications and worry being in a vehicle with an unmasked driver could expose them to the virus.
“This truly makes me feel like the city and state don’t care about disabled lives. Not all of us can simply stay home,” said Eman Rimawi-Doster, the Access-A-Ride Campaign coordinator and organizer with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. “Wearing a mask hurts no one. And I’m going to keep doing it because I care about my neighbors and also myself. I wish our government showed the same care.”NYC news never sleeps. Get the Gothamist Daily newsletter and don't miss a moment.
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