The city’s youngest students continued to wear their masks Monday, after Mayor Eric Adams dropped his initial plan to end the mandate, and after an appeals court upheld his right to do so.

For some parents, it was no bother.

“It doesn’t hurt anybody, and they’re used to it by now, and why not be safe?” Gabriella Belfiglio asked. “Especially at this age, it’s so easy to forget the manners, and to wipe your nose.”

What You Need To Know

  • The city's youngest students continued to wear their masks Monday

  • Mayor Adams initially planned to end the mandate on Monday, April 4, but on Friday said cases were on the rise and he'd keep it in place
  • Meanwhile, parents briefly got the mandate struck down in court, before an appeal put it back in place  

But for parents like Daniela Jampel it was an upsetting turn of events. She aired her frustrations to Adams directly Monday, interrupting an unrelated press conference about the city’s planned digital advertising campaign in Florida.

“You reneged on your promise and not only did you renege on your promise you had your lawyers race to court on Friday night,” she said.

A staffer moved to cut her off.

“No, no, no, let her finish, because you let her start,” Adams directed.

Adams argued he was actually upholding his promise, which was that he would lift the mandate unless there was an uptick in cases.

“We’re going to pivot and shift as COVID is pivoting and shifting. There’s a new variant, we’re going to move at the right pace. That’s the role I must do. That’s what I stated and I’m living up to my promises,” Adams said.

Jampel, a lawyer for the city’s law department, lost her job in the confrontation's aftermath, though the city said it was related to previous comments and the decision had been made prior to Monday.

A law department spokesman said Jampel also lied to the mayor’s staff and claimed she was a journalist at the press conference.

“Ms. Jampel has made troubling claims about her work for the city Law Department. Based on those statements, the decision had been made to terminate her prior to today,” the spokesman said. “Today’s events, however, which include her decision to lie to City Hall staff and state she was a journalist at a press conference, demonstrate a disturbing lack of judgment and integrity.”

Jampel declined to comment on her job status Monday night, later tweeting "my statement is that I am retaining counsel and will not litigate in the press" and "je ne regrette rien," which means "I regret nothing" in French.

Jampel is a longtime advocate against COVID restrictions in schools, first helping found Keep New York City Schools Open, a coalition of parents against remote learning. As students have returned to school, Jampel has turned her attention to opposing mask requirements.

On Sunday, Jampel spoke with NY1, citing Adams’ reversal on masks for toddlers last week as a point of frustration.

“I am incredibly upset about this. I had told her last week that she would not longer have to wear a mask after last week because the mayor said trust me, I got this, they’re gonna be unmasked. So I had already told her that, and now I had to tell her that unfortunately she does have to wear a mask,” she said.

Adams announced last month that he intended to lift the mask mandate for toddlers on April 4. And on Friday, a Staten Island judge sided with parents who sued over it, striking the mandate down.

But hours later, Adams said an increase in cases had prompted him to extend the mandate and to appeal that judge’s ruling, ultimately resulting in a stay that kept the mandate in place.