Governor ends mask mandate for businesses

Governor Kathy Hochul said today (February 9) she will end the mask mandate in place for indoor businesses beginning Thursday, February 10.

Citing “tremendous progress after two long years” and declining rates of hospitalization, the Governor said New York’s infection rates had dropped to levels not seen since last November, prior to the spread of the Omicron variant.

Schools and ‘congregate settings’ such as transportation hubs and correctional facilities remain under the state Department of Health’s mask rules; the Governor said she will “make an assessment that first week in March” as to whether to keep the rule in place.