School Mask Mandate To Be Lifted In NY Wednesday: Hochul

NEW YORK — The school mask mandate in New York will be dropped as of Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Sunday.

The decision came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new mask guidance on Friday. Hochul said the goal she's had since taking office was to keep children in school, in light of the "devastating effect" of remote learning on children.

"We withstood a lot of objections," Hochul said.

During the winter surge sparked by the omicron variant, with numbers spiking on Jan. 25, Hochul said she's always maintained that she would be watching the metrics before making a decision about the school mask mandate.

As of Sunday, across New York State there were 1,671 new cases of the coronavirus out of nearly 20 million New Yorkers — only .008 residents are positive — compared with 90,000 on Jan 7, an "extraordinary" 98 percent drop, Hochul said. "That's an incredible journey. I am so happy we did have the mask requirement in place and, for two short months, for patrons in businesses. That's how we kept the numbers from getting worse," she said.

There have been 51 days of a downward trend in the coronavirus, Hochul said. On Sunday, the state's positivity rate stood at 1.7 percent, down from 23 percent on Jan. 2.

Hospitalizations, always Hochul's "nightmare . . .evoking horrific images from the early months of the pandemic", are down to 1,911 statewide, with 20 deaths reported Saturday, the governor said.

Vaccinations are also trending upward, Hochul said. And, the number of children testing positive has gone from 832 in September at the beginning of the school year to 14,167 on. Jan. 10, to 229 on Sunday. At the peak, 38 children were hospitalized; on Sunday, seven are hospitalized — a drop of 80 percent, Hochul said.

Hochul always said she would make her decision after the winter break; children will head back to school Monday and the state distributed 4.8 million tests statewide to students in schools and more than 20 million have been given out statewide.

The CDC, Hochul said, has determined risk assessment by county. In New York, 70 percent live in areas with low-to-medium risk, Hochul said. The CDC said that for those in low-to-medium risk areas, mask are no longer indoors, including schools, she said.

Given all the metrics, Hochul said: "The day has come. We are lifting the statewide mask requirements as of Wednesday."

That includes children ages 2 and up in daycares.

Those counties with higher positivity rates will be afforded the ability to determines what's best in their areas. "This will no longer be a mandate," Hochul said.

In addition, parents will also have the right to decide what's best for their children; Hochul said the state would have zero tolerance for those bullying children or parents in schools who choose to wear masks.

Masks will still be required on public transportation, including trains, buses, and planes, as well as in correctional facilities, domestic violence and homeless shelters, and state-run nursing homes.

Despite the news, Hochul said the state would remain vigilant for future spikes.