The internet was stunned after one employee shared their boss’s response to New York lifting its indoor business mask-or-vaccine mandate on Wednesday.
In a viral Reddit post published on the popular r/antiwork forum, one Reddit user shared a screenshot of an email they received from their boss after it was announced mandates will lift on Feb. 10. Titled, “Is this legal? I work in New York and my boss just sent me this,” the viral post has received 40,000 votes and 5,000 comments in just 10 hours.
Beginning the screenshot email with the acknowledgement that New York governor Kathy Hochul announced the state will be ending indoor business mask-or-vaccine mandates, the Redditor’s boss informed employees that they would no longer be permitted to wear masks while at work.
“This morning Governor Hochul rescinded her mask mandate,” the email read.. “Effective tomorrow, as part of our uniform policy, masks are no longer permitted by staff while on shift.”
“If you have an underlying medical condition or concern where it is necessary for you to wear a mask, please contact me immediately to discuss the possibility of a waiver,” it continued. “Masks will continue to be optional for customers.”
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On December 10, 2021, New York implemented a state-wide indoor business mask-or-vaccine mandate in response to rising COVID cases and the burgeoning presence of the Omicron variant. Two months later, the state announced it is prepared to remove that mandate, although “counties, cities and businesses will be able to opt into the mask-or-vaccine requirement if they so choose.”
In a statement released by Hochul, New York’s governor explained why the mandate is being lifted, and introduced a Winter Toolkit aimed at keeping New Yorkers safe.
“As we begin a new phase in our response to this pandemic, my top priority is making sure we keep New York safe, open and moving forward,” Hochul said. “I want to thank health care workers, business owners and everyday New Yorkers who acted responsibly during the Omicron surge by masking up and getting vaccinated.”
“But make no mistake: while we’re moving in the right direction, this pandemic isn’t over and our new Winter Toolkit shows us the path forward,” Hochul added.
New York’s new Winter Toolkit, per NY.gov, is a multi-faceted strategy broken into five categories: protecting the most vulnerable New Yorkers, increasing access to vaccines, boosters and testing, strengthening the state’s health system, empowering local leaders, and supporting New Yorkers facing long-term COVID effects.
Despite New York Times data that shows the state’s seven-day average of new COVID cases has dropped to 253,000 from 800,000 in mid-January, and Governor Hochul’s detailed plan for how New York plans to move forward, commenters responding to the viral Reddit post were in disbelief that an employer would prohibit employees from electing to wear a mask while at work.
In the post’s top comment, which has received over 13,000 votes, Redditor u/Firm_Transportation3 said that lifted mask mandates does not mean that New Yorkers should be prevented from wearing them.
“There is a big difference between not mandating masks and not allowing them to be worn,” they commented.
Redditor u/gsa51, whose comment has received 7,000 votes, sarcastically asked if the original poster’s employer planned on banning other preventative measures against COVID.
“Is washing your hands in the bathroom now prohibited, too?,” they questioned.
Amid a sea of comments encouraging the viral Reddit post’s author to acquire a doctor’s note stating they can continue to wear a mask, some Redditors encouraged them to take legal action, or potentially seek employment elsewhere.
“Any doctor worth their salt will write a note saying you need to wear a mask,” one Redditor commented. “Take it to management and let them know you will be given a waiver, there is no talking about it and if they refuse you have grounds to sue.”
“No longer PERMITTED?,” another Redditor wrote. “RUN, OP. Your boss is a tyrant.”
