Governor Hochul Announces (Effective Tomorrow) the Statewide Mask or Vaccine Requirement for Indoor Businesses is Discontinued

February 9, 2022

See below coverage of Governor Hochul’s announcement earlier today re:  masking requirements in NYS.

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Reid McNally Savage <info@lobbywr.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 9, 2022 at 12:42 PM
Subject: Correction: Governor Hochul Announces Effective Tomorrow 2/10/22 the Statewide Mask or Vaccine Requirement for Indoor Businesses is Discontinued

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2/9/22 

Governor Hochul briefed today on COVID-19. The Governor pointed out that all metrics for measuring COVID-19 are improving with overall cases, positivity rate, and hospitalizations trending downward and vaccination rates and hospital capacity trending upwards. Given this the Governor announced that effective tomorrow 2/10/22 she is lifting the statewide mask or vaccine requirement for indoor businesses. The Governor noted that counties, cities, and businesses can still choose to require masks. While the statewide mask or vaccine requirement for indoor businesses will end tomorrow, mask requirements will remain in effect for state regulated health care settings, homeless shelters, state regulated adult care facilities and nursing homes, domestic violence shelters, correctional facilities, transit (buses, bus stations, trains, train stations, subways, subway stations, panes, and airports), and schools and childcare centers.

Regarding schools the Governor stated that with midwinter breaks coming up for schools they will provide at-home test kits to families to test after family vacations over break and the week following the midwinter breaks in March the Governor will reevaluate mask requirements for schools. 

Governor Hochul announced a new winter tool kit for the fight against COVID-19 which has the following 5 parts.

1)    Protecting The Most Vulnerable- This encompasses supporting New Yorkers in nursing homes, hospitals, congregate settings, and schools. For nursing homes visitors must continue to use high quality masks and visitors must have a negative COVID test within 24 hours.

2)     Increase Vaccines & Booster Doses- This includes encouraging parents to get their 5–11-year-olds vaccinated as currently only 38% of this group has one dose of the vaccine.  As well as keeping vaccine and testing sites open and preparing for approval and distribution of the vaccine for 0–4-year-olds.

3)    Strengthening Our Health Care System- This is achieved by distributing tests and high-quality masks as well as addressing staffing concerns through the executive orders expanding the eligible workforce and training the National Guard. Also investing 10 billion dollars in health care with 4 billion in bonuses for health care workers and 1.6 billion for improvements and upgrades.

4)    Empowering Local Leaders

5)    Supporting New Yorkers Facing Long-Term Effects From COVID- This includes launching new educational resources and making sure workers can secure adequate medical treatment and lost wage benefits

*Please note that the lifting of the statewide mask or vaccine requirement for indoor businesses is effective tomorrow 2/10/22 and not today 2/9/22. 

Please find the briefing slides attached