New York will end its mask-or-vaccine mandate for indoor businesses on Thursday
“Given the declining cases, given the declining hospitalizations, that is why we feel comfortable to life this in effect tomorrow,” she said Wednesday. “We want to make sure that every business knows, this is your prerogative. And individuals who want to continue wearing masks, continue wearing masks.”
The mandate required businesses to ask customers for proof of vaccination or for them to wear masks indoors, except when eating or drinking. The emergency temporary measure was put in place two months ago and was set to expire Thursday.
The mask mandate still remains in place for schools, childcare settings, hospitals, nursing homes and on public transit. Hochul said the state plans to review student Covid-19 test results and other metrics next month to decide whether to continue requiring masks in schools.
“After the break, after we’ve had kids tested, we are going to make an assessment that first week in March based on all the metrics…
