AP
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that the state will end a COVID-19 mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, but will keep masking rules in place in schools.
The mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, like grocery stores, shops and offices, was put in place Dec. 10 as the omicron variant of the virus began infecting huge numbers of New Yorkers. It was set to expire Thursday unless the Democrat’s administration extended it.
Speaking from her office in New York City, Hochul said infection rates have since declined to a level where it is safe to rescind the broad masking order.
“Given the declining cases, given the declining hospitalizations, that is why we feel comfortable to lift this, in effect tomorrow,” Hochul said.
Hochul had been hinting for several days that she would let the mandate lapse as infection rates have fallen.
Masks, though, will still be required in many places, including in health care facilities and in schools.
Hochul has said 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.
Hochul met Tuesday with school administrators and teacher unions to talk about when and how the state might ease the school masking mandate.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends universal masking in schools.
About 5,000 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in hospitals statewide as of Monday. That’s below a peak of nearly 12,700 on Jan. 11, but still double the amount of patients hospitalized Nov. 21.
Masks are still required indoors in NYC, it’s just in the rest of the state that you can take your mask off indoors (talking about adults here).
Rasha Merusha
How could anyone be so cruel to subject children to wearing masks 8 hours a day . Let’s see her do that.
There’s a picture with the governor and other officials posing maskless with children who all have their masks on
It really breaks my heart that people play politics with children. They are young, vulnerable, and can’t stand up for themselves. They are forced to wear a mask all day in public schools on their little faces when even adults have a hard time doing so! I really wish that adults in power would stand up and do the right thing for children.
Children have to be masked but adults don’t have to if they’re a top official,or if they have food in their mouth
Makes the same “sense” as when the State claimed that a “liquor store” is essential (but not a Shul)!!
They are smart,they know what they’re doing,and everyone keeps complying
the school boards is the problem
and the governor is doing their bidding
the school boards are the ones that fight the most to keep their mandates
the first executive order she made was mandates for school
in Florida, Virginia the main one’s to fight mandates from their governors were the school boards,teachers
so she is listening to the school boards,rather to parents or kids who she represents.
When BLM make a rally with thousands many without masks etc. That is fine. But when Yiden make a levaya it is forbidden and stopped by the police, health and safety officials ???!!!
They are not breathing enough oxygen and what they do get is recycled and stale. I couldn’t do it. It’s not healthy physically for a child’s brain to be deprived like this and it could be traumatic over time and cause claustrophobia.
Listen with total faith to experts in their field. For example, top officials can visit schools maskless while children have to comply…another example of the science is you cannot catch or spread covid if you’re eating . As soon as you’re done eating you will need to put your mask on Because you can catch or spread covid.
This doesn’t apply to NYC.
There is still a mandate in NYC.
Can you imagine believing that you, a non-expert, know more than the doctors and scientists?
Are you not embarrassed of how conceited and uneducated you sound?
They’re corrupt,open your eyes. How is it science that wearing a mask will protect you and others except while eating ? Flu is more dangerous to kids yet they never had to mask for the flu. According to real science,you breathe in CO2 from being masked. The experts are ignoring their own science
Can you imagine living under this totalitarian regime for two years, having the data right in front of you as a matter of public record, seeing the numbers by demographic, observing the utter hypocrisy of our ruling class, and still thinking that you’re on the right side of history and science?
Are you not embarrassed of how conceited and uneducated you sound?
Could you imagine believing that you, a person with a brain, could no longer think at all because someone on a screen who had a title told you that there is only one view and no other?
Are you not embarrassed of how ignorant and misled you are?
Before two years ago, there was plenty of science on the CDC and OSHA about how non-surgical masks do nothing.
The websites were scrubbed of this science. Replaced with nothing. Show me the science on thr benefits of wearing masks! It doesn’t exist.
So no, there is no shame in standing up and saying “stop masking the children and let them breathe!”
Thankfully there are no masks in my children’s schools. If there were, they’d be anywhere but in school.
is accepting everything the “experts” and the “leaders” say unquestioningly, no matter how many times they’ve been wrong, no matter how hypocritically they’re acting…
…then that’s the kind of education you’d get in a madrassa. Well, no thanks; we’ve got a perfectly good religion of our own, and don’t need to replace it with yours.
Where is the science to justify masking kids, who aren’t trained or mature enough to wear medically effective masks most of the time? It’s just for show and control
Kids are playing and touching all the same stuff the masks are doing nothing
Pure state mandated child abuse.
She’s gotta be!
Because apparently they overheard the virus saying that it’s target now is NYC.
These politicians are brain dead.
Wait! Is COVID still happening?
Even the flu that was going around is pretty much ended. Justifying this is impossible for any- thinking- human being.
Eric adams our friend said in nyc it doesn’t apply
“Hochul has said she would like to see vaccination rates for children improve before she does away with that statewide mandate”
So adults will be allowed to breath again but not developing CHILDREN because the ineffective experiment hasn’t been shot into enough of them yet. Amazed that they’re not ashamed to keep stuffing the agenda.
All parents have to say this stops now . We will not allow this willful abuse. Every single child comes to school without a mask. It is the parents job to protect their children.
this is insanity. who would put a mask mandate on kids, who cannot stand up for themselves, and are the most affected ones of COVID already?