NEW YORK – Governor Kathy Hochul yesterday announced the lifting of the mask or vax mandate for indoor businesses that she imposed two months ago. The new rules go into effect today, February 10.
She will still leave it up to businesses, counties, and municipalities as to if they want masks to be worn.
Hochul said, though, that nursing homes, bus and train stations and other places of mass assembly will require masks.
As for Super Bowl Sunday, the governor said it will be up to bars and taverns if they want to require masks and she suspects many will require them.
She made her decision to drop the mask or vax rule based on analysis of the data. She noted a 93 percent decline in cases since mid-December when they spiked.
On December 10, there were 51 cases per 100,000 population in New York. That spiked at 381 per 100,000 at the peak during the holidays. Now, that has dropped to 32 people per 100,000.
The governor still wants masks worn in school and after the winter break, students will be tested at home before they come back to the classroom. Based on that data, the governor said she will decide if students must continue to be masked.
