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While mask mandates have been lifted statewide in most locales - most notably schools as of Wednesday, March 2 - they are still required on public transportation, inside transportation hubs, and inside certain congregate settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons until further data says it's safe to ditch them.
On Monday, Feb. 28, Hochul said that she and her administration continue to evaluate certain sets of data as they look to ease masking restrictions either further in New York.
“I believe people understand why we would keep them in place in hospitals and nursing homes — two huge points of vulnerability,” she said on PIX11. “However, I’ve asked for a review of our data related to people in congregate settings and senior homes, nursing homes, even our prisons.
“I want the data to see whether or not we’re maintaining a low level (of COVID-19 cases) or whether or not it’s vacillating back and forth,” she added. “So once I have that data and analyze it, we’ll be able to make a decision on that, but right now, schools made sense.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its guidance on mask-wearing to concentrate on COVID-19 hospitalizations, hospital capacity, and newly reported infections, permitting most of the state to drop the mandate.
“CDC updated its framework to monitor the level of COVID-19 in communities,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “This framework moves beyond looking just at cases and test positivity to evaluate factors that reflect the severity of disease, including hospitalizations and hospital capacity.
“This framework helps inform public health guidance at the state and local level and provides individuals an understanding of what precautions they may want to take.”
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