Starting Monday, children under 5 years old in New York City no longer have to wear a mask in school or day care.

Mayor Eric Adam says this step is being taken after the city’s health department said COVID-19 cases are decreasing from the most recent surge. The mandate was initially scheduled to be lifted on April 4, but a rise in cases from the BA.2 variant led the city to keep the mandate in place.

NYC recorded 241 COVID-19-related deaths in May, which is an increase from April but still lower than the 1,040 people who died in February.

The city is currently under a high alert level for COVID-19 which means community spread is high. The mayor is still strongly recommending that New Yorkers of all ages wear a mask indoors and says masks will be available to early childhood staff or families who want them.

Children between the ages of 2 and 4 are the only age group that can’t get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be reviewing data from Pfizer and Moderna to decide whether or not to recommend vaccinations for this age group later this week.