New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) plans to end her state’s mask mandate for most indoor public places on Wednesday (Feb. 9).
Hochul intends to let the mask mandate, which has been challenged in court, expire as scheduled rather than seeking to renew it, citing three individuals who the newspaper said were briefed on her decision.
The newspaper said it was unclear whether Hochul’s administration would renew or drop a separate compulsory masking rule in New York public schools that is due to lapse in two weeks.
The move drop the mandate comes after officials in several other Democratic-led states—New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon—announced on Monday (Feb. 7) that they were lifting mask mandates for schools and other public settings in the coming weeks.
CDC Director Urges Officials to Not Drop Mask Mandates in Schools as 7 Democrat-Led States Announce Such Intentions
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is urging officials to not drop their school mask mandates even as a handful of states have already announced such intentions for schools and elsewhere.
Walensky acknowledged in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday (Feb. 8) that she “knows people are interested in taking masks off. I am interested too,” before adding that “Right now our CDC guidance has not changed … We continue to endorse universal masking in schools.”
“We have and continue to recommend masking in areas of high and substantial transmission—that is essentially everywhere in the country in public indoor settings,” Walensky said.
Walensky’s remarks come as plans to get rid of mask mandates in indoor spaces, including K-12 schools have been announced by officials in several Democrat-led states—including New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon.