It is anticipated that Governor Kathy Hochul will announce the end of the indoor mask mandate in New York State on Wednesday, but the city mandate will remain in place.
The state mandate requires masks to be worn inside businesses where vaccination status was not being checked.
It’s set to expire Thursday, and the New York Times reports Governor Hochul will rescind it.
The mandate went into effect just before the holidays, but the CDC says even with case numbers improving, its guidance hasn’t changed.
“Right now our CDC guidance has not changed, 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,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
While Connecticut and New Jersey are already among a handful of states with plans to ease mask mandates in schools, Governor Hochul hasn’t made the same move.
However, she held a call with school superintendents across the state who believe an announcement is coming soon.
The governor is expected to extend the mask mandate past its February 21 expiration date and through winter break.
Governor Hochul is not committing to any dates on when the school mandate will be lifted.
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