Mask mandate in New York lifted
NEW YORK - A NY mask mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, like grocery stores, shops, and offices has been lifted as of Thursday.
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul let the mandate lapse as the state emerges from a deadly wave of cases, fueled by the omicron variant.
Face coverings will still be required in schools. The governor says that will be reassessed during the first week of March.
Hochul said infection rates and hospitalizations have declined to a level where it is safe to rescind the order.
"This fight is not over, we’re not surrendering. This is not disarmament," she told reporters at her New York City office on Wednesday, "but again the trends are very, very positive."
Hochul said that she would like to see vaccination rates for children improve before she does away with that statewide mandate, which has been in place since August.
Face coverings will still also be required in hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, transportation systems, and a few other places.
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Hochul announced Wednesday that the number of positive COVID tests in New York had dropped to 6,041, a 93 percent decrease since its peak of over 90,000 positive cases earlier in January.
Currently, 4,670 people in the state are hospitalized due to COVID-19, a 63 percent decrease since omicron's peak.
New York's broader masking rule was put in place as omicron cases began to soar. It was initially set to expire weeks ago, but had been extended twice while state officials waited for the wave to subside.
Hochul also met with school board members, superintendents and parent-teacher associations from across the state on Tuesday in order to hear firsthand some concerns. Key players who were in the meeting say that much of the frustration they are hearing from parents stems from a lack of clarity around the metrics being used to keep the mask mandate in place.