By Michael Ge
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the end to New York State’s indoor mask mandate on Thursday, February 10. Hochul’s announcement has been one of many made by governors ending mandates across the country.
These announcements have taken place at a time where cases have been going down as the omicron variant has gone past its peak. In her announcement, Governor Hochul made sure to emphasize that the now-expired mask mandate was a “temporary measure”. Masks will still be required to be worn in certain locations and jurisdictions, such as health centers and counties, cities, and businesses can still make the decision to require masks to be worn.
Although the New York State mask mandate is over, masks are still required to be worn in New York schools. The mask mandates for schools in New York State could end in March. Metrics will be evaluated in early March before a decision is made.
Other states have also been moving towards ending their school mask mandates. Pennsylvania’s mask mandate for schools ended on January 17. Meanwhile New Jersey’s mask mandate has been scheduled to expire starting from the second week of March.
Although mandates are being lifted, the CDC has stuck by its more cautious approach. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC, stated, “We have and continue to recommend masking in areas of high and substantial transmission – that is essentially everywhere in the country in public indoor settings.”
Ending mask mandates are an important step towards what many Americans have been hoping for – a return to pre-pandemic times. Hopefully, Americans will soon reach the light at the end of the tunnel
