US/ New York for kids at the moment

[GrandPrismatic]

Hello
We are looking to travel to the US in the spring - kids are 4 and 6. I know kids over 2 (currently) have to fly with facemasks but wondering what it will be like when we are there? Do kids have to wear masks indoors (restaurants/museums/shows/shops etc) Assuming playgrounds are open? Any insights from locals (New York in particular) welcome.
Thanks!

Another New Yorker completely baffled by all the hoohah over mask wearing in the UK. Lanyards, exemptions, child abuse….so much drama! Mind boggling.

And yes, if your children can be vaccinated now is a good time to be here. Times entry for most public attractions is something I’d like to see kept forever. Such a shame Newnormal99, I totally get the timing issue. Maybe you can plan something for the first summer of 6th form?

I’m another fan of timed things and booking stuff!

God what a depressing read.

I assume with all the masking of toddlers and denial of entry to young children, that there is little if any Covid in NY and Chicago.

Wearing a mask is not a drama for dc, it is something that they hardly notice now.

My dc have been able to attend a great deal more in person school than their UK cousins so I'm ok with the masks.

They also understand about protecting others with their behavior.

What is depressing about it, @TinaYouFatLard

Oh I can’t be bothered with it today.

It’s just so fucking sad.

@GrandPrismatic

The vaccine requirements are 5+ now :( Interesting about possibly needing a vaccine to even enter the US….it’s not currently a requirement but my goodness, surely that would cripple the tourist industry even further?!

Not really no - more and more countries are vaccinating children. Plus we already have a huge market of tourists from the 370 million Americans who are not travelling abroad. DH's company's hotels had their best summer ever in 2021.

It's business travel that we really need to ramp back up to help boost the economy, and the way to do that is by vaccinating as many people as possible including children.

@Newnormal99

I'm gutted. Been planning a big birthday trip for 2 years which is booked for April.

14yo will (just) be double vaxxed. 10yo won't have had anything unless rules change. Coming into winter here I was hopeful they would introduced vaccines here but I think if they can get through next month or so it will be off the cards until next winter if at all.

So it's off the cards. To make it even more annoying 14yo will be doing GCSE's next year so wipes out our holiday options really for another year in terms of timing as Easter / spring will be off the cards.

This was a one off so if we do something else 'big' we cannot afford to go to New York anytime soon.

I'm sorry about your trip. Right now I should have been in the UK visiting my family for the first time in years, but ended up not going because the Covid rates in the UK were so high. Covid is fucking up so much :-(

@givethatbabyaname

Another New Yorker completely baffled by all the hoohah over mask wearing in the UK. Lanyards, exemptions, child abuse….so much drama! Mind boggling.

Another American here who is baffled by the UK's attitude towards masks. I was in the UK over Christmas and went to a pantomime. Not surprisingly, many of the theatregoers were children and not a single one of them was wearing a mask. It was quite shocking for me to see, when at every other similar event I have attended in the past two years everyone except for young babies has been masked.

One of the ticket takers even had the audacity to say to me "you're wearing a mask, right?" 1) Yes, you can see I am. 2) He wasn't even wearing a mask himself!