New York Governor Kathy Hochul has issued an indoor mask mandate across the state unless businesses implement a vaccine mandate for customers.
“We’re entering a time of uncertainty and we could either plateau here or our cases could get out of control,” Hochul said at a press conference on Friday. She told reporters that the mandate was implemented after increasing infection and hospitalization rates. The mandate will be in effect from December 13 to January 15 and could be reimplemented after evaluation.
Hochul took the time to also acknowledge previous warnings she gave regarding COVID-19 and prevention protocols.
“I have warned for weeks that additional steps could be necessary, and now we are at that point based upon three metrics: Increasing cases, reduced hospital capacity, and insufficient vaccination rates in certain areas,” she said.
She also took time to thank those who have been vaccinated, urging those who have not received their dosages to do so as soon as possible.
“I want to thank the more than 80 percent of New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated,” she said. “If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary.”
This reinforced mask mandate comes as New York records 20 cases of COVID-19 attributed to the Omicron strain. One of the first American cases of the strain was recorded from an attendant of the Anime NYC convention in November.
Many New York areas have already begun reimplementing mask mandates. Erie County issued a mandate in November saying that masks were required in all indoor public locations, including sporting events held in the city of Buffalo.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
New York joins several states with similar indoor mask mandates, including Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada and Hawaii.
The state recorded more than 68,000 positive tests for the virus in the seven-day period that ended Wednesday. That’s the most in any seven-day stretch since the start of February. The surge is especially pronounced in some areas of upstate New York, which has accounted for nearly three-fourths of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in hospitals since August.
“We are heading upward in a direction that I no longer find sustainable,” Hochul said.
Hochul announced the mask mandate at a social service agency in the west side of Manhattan, where most people already wear masks. New York City requires vaccinations for indoor restaurant dining, entertainment and gyms, so those venues will be unaffected by the new rule.
Hochul said violators could face civil and criminal penalties, including a maximum fine of $1,000. Local health departments will be in charge of enforcing the requirements.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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