Gov. Kathy Hochul officially lifted the state’s indoor mask-or-vaccine requirement for businesses Thursday, as Omicron cases in the state continue to plunge. Local businesses and elected officials are now free to decide whether to continue requiring masks or vaccines inside businesses or public spaces.
However, masks will still be required in healthcare facilities, nursing homes and adult care facilities, correctional facilities and detention centers, homeless shelters, public transit and transportation hubs, and federally operated facilities like airports and trains.
Schools will continue to require masks until at least next month, pending a review by the governor. The requirement that everyone entering a New York business either wear a mask or prove they had been vaccinated was imposed in early December as the Omicron variety of COVID began breaking infection records.
“I want to thank the healthcare workers, business owners and everyday New Yorkers who acted responsibly during the Omicron surge by masking up and getting vaccinated,” Hochul said. “But make no mistake: while we’re moving in the right direction, this pandemic isn’t over.” She delineated five areas in which the state is moving forward to contain the health threat of COVID.
Hochul said she will evaluate mask requirements in local schools by early March, based on public health data. According to the governor, approximately 14.2 million tests have been distributed to schools, and students will receive two COVID-19 tests when they go home for their midwinter break within the next two weeks.
“As the winter surge recedes, getting vaccinated and boosted remains critical to continue the progress we’ve made, and masking remains key to keeping children in schools safely and keeping everyone safe in public transit and other crowded settings,” said state Health
New York City Health data reports high COVID-19 transmission rates in Mott Haven with one out of three people having been diagnosed with the virus since it arrived in New York. Case rates and deaths in the area are also higher in the community than across the city.
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