🌱 Child Mask Mandate Extended + Hundreds Of JetBlue Delays At JFK

Good day, people of Queens! Miranda Fraraccio here with today's edition of the Queens Daily.

First, today's weather:

A stray afternoon shower. High: 54 Low: 41.

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Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. Due to an "upward trajectory" of COVID cases, New York City's mask mandate for toddlers has been extended through next week, Mayor Eric Adams confirmed. Adams said, "I want to remove masks and see our babies' faces, but we have to do it when the science says it is safe to do so." The mayor hopes to lift the order "within a week," though he noted it would depend on recommendations from his health team. (NBC New York)
2. After rain and winds hit the city on Thursday, hundreds of JetBlue passengers were stuck at John F. Kennedy International Airport — even as other airlines were taking off. While over 500 flights were delayed at JFK on Thursday, over 40 percent of them were JetBlue flights. Some passengers waited on the tarmac for hours, others were rerouted outside the state, and many were simply waiting inside the airport. (Queens Patch)
3. A Queens woman celebrated her 102nd birthday at her nursing home in Arverne. Lerlene Bell, also known as "Mamma Bell," was surrounded by family members as well as the staff at Resort Nursing Home. Bell credits her longevity to her faith and her past hard work. (WABC-TV)

Today in Queens:

• Virtual Saturday Science Lab: The Forest - From Root Tips To Tree Tops At Glen Oaks Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• Conversational Bengali For Beginners At Glen Oaks Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• NICE ONE! COMEDY At Culture Lab LIC (8:00 PM)
• Unik Saturdays At Solletto Astoria (10:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• From a cherry blossom walk in the park to a contemporary dance festival, here's what's going on in Queens this weekend. (QNS.com)
• The Queens Borough's inaugural Cannabis Conference on Apr. 20 is less than two weeks away. RSVP at queensbp.org/RSVP. (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you around.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.