Gov. Hochul lifts N.Y. mask mandate for businesses, but not schools
Governor Hochul announced on February 9 that the statewide mask mandate would expire for indoor venues the following day, with the exception of schools. Source: Anna Shvets from Pexels.com
Governor Kathy Hochul lifted the statewide mask mandate on Feb. 10 which required masks to be worn in all indoor public places unless businesses and venues implemented a vaccine requirement as cases are on the decline from the Omicron variant.
"As Governor, my two top priorities are to protect the health of New Yorkers and to protect the health of our economy” Hochul said in her announcement of the mandate. She added, “we shouldn't have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers' frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet."
The mandate originally went into effect on Dec. 13, 2021, due to statewide seven-day average case rate increasing by 43% and hospitalizations increasing by 29% after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Masking is still required in the following settings: hospitals and state-regulated health care settings; nursing homes and adult care facilities; prisons and detention centers; homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters; public transit and transportation hubs including airports, along with trains and planes; and public schools for grades K-12. NYC has left the choice to the businesses whether they want to require masking indoors, however, they are still requiring people to show proof of vaccination before entering.
A spokesperson for mayor Eric Adams said they would “encourage all New Yorkers to continue to wear high-quality masks when indoors or in crowded spaces and to get vaccinated and boosted to stop the spread.”
Neighboring states like Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware have also lifted their mask mandates for not only businesses, but for public schools as well. The school mask mandate is to be reassessed in early March, as Hochul said that there is a “combination of factors” that need to be examined, including vaccination rates for children five and older, infection rates and hospitalizations before masking is made optional in learning environments. N.Y. State wants to follow infection rates after the mid-winter break starting Feb. 21 before making a clear decision.
President Biden sympathized with the American peoples’ frustrations with the pandemic restrictions, however, he emphasized that he believes that states lifting mask mandates is premature. He also said that mask mandates in schools are still necessary until youth vaccination rates increase and the vaccine is available for children under five.
“Every day that goes by, children are more protected,” President Biden said. “The more protection they have, probably you’re going to see less and less requirement to have the masks.”