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Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she needs more information to make a decision on lifting the state’s remaining mask mandates — which are still in place on public transportation and in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons — a day after she unveiled plans to lift mask requirements in public schools.
“I believe people understand why we would keep them in place in hospitals and nursing homes — two huge points of vulnerability. However, I’ve asked for a review of our data related to people in congregate settings and senior homes, nursing homes, even our prisons,” she said on PIX 11’s morning news show.
“I want the data to see whether or not we’re maintaining a low level [of COVID-19 cases] or whether or not it’s vacillating back and forth.”
The governor added, “So once I have that data and analyze it, we’ll be able to make a decision on that, but right now, schools made sense.”
Mask mandates in public schools across the Empire State will be lifted this Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday.
“Given the decline in our rates, our hospitalizations, strong vaccination rates and the CDC guidance, we, friends, the day has come,” Hochul said during a press conference in Albany. “Today we are going to be announcing that we’ll be lifting the statewide mask requirement in schools, and that’ll be effective this Wednesday, March 2.”
Shortly after Hochul revealed the policy change, Mayor Eric Adams announced in a statement he will follow her lead by nixing school mask mandates beginning March 7 — barring “unforeseen spikes” in coronavirus cases.
But while students and staff in public schools will not be required to mask up, mandates are still in effect for public transit as well as in healthcare facilities, nursing homes, prisons and shelters.
Meanwhile, Adams also announced New York City’s indoor venue COVID-19 vaccine requirement — a program enacted by ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio that applied to settings like bars, restaurants, gyms and theaters — will likely come to an end March 7 as well.
The wind-down comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention significantly relaxed COVID guidelines on Friday, scrapping its indoor mask recommendation for counties considered “low risk” for infection, which includes New York.
Instead of focusing on confirmed virus case counts, the CDC announced it will consider the risk the virus poses to individual communities based largely on the number of severe cases and hospital admissions.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Empire State fell below 2,000 for the first time since Nov. 14, Hochul said Saturday, citing state data. On Monday, the governor said on PIX 11 that about 1,100 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday — a 99 percent drop from the state’s Omicron peak on Jan 7.
“Our rates in schools are very low, our vaccination rates are going up, our hospitalizations are down. Then the CDC came out on Friday and gave their recommendations,” she explained Monday morning. “So we analyzed the data, we listened to the CDC, and we determined that now is the time.”
Hochul also stressed that although masking is now “optional” in public schools, “every parent that wants to have their child wear a mask, we encourage them.”
“We don’t want anybody to be bullied or harassed about doing that,” Hochul said. “It’s a personal decision, starting on Wednesday.”
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