NY State lifts the statewide mask-or-vaccine requirement for indoor businesses

New Yorks States overall cases, positivity rate, and hospitalizations are down, while  hospital capacity, vaccination rates and booster rates are up. Back on January 9, the peak of the winter surge, there were nearly 382 cases per 100,000 people. Today, there were under 31 cases per 100,000 people — among the lowest in the nation. The numbers are clear — we are seeing major improvement on the key metrics we've been tracking throughout this pandemic.

We are not where we were in early December, and I want to thank New Yorkers for doing the right thing to help us get through this winter surge. But make no mistake about it: This pandemic is not over. Our fight against COVID-19 continues, and I've put together a five-point toolkit that ensures we keep New Yorkers safe and plan for the future, including a first-in-the-nation effort to help those experiencing long-term effects from COVID. We’re moving in the right direction and our winter toolkit lays out our path forward.

Given the rapid decline of cases and hospitalizations, we are now lifting the statewide mask-or-vaccine requirement for indoor businesses starting today, February 10. Counties, cities and businesses can still choose to require masks. The mask requirement remains in effect statewide for specific settings like health care facilities, nursing homes, and schools.

We’re continuing to track many key metrics and to take steps to keep kids safe, including sending every K-12 student home with two COVID tests ahead of the Midwinter break. I’ll continue looking closely at the numbers and working with education partners, and I will make an assessment on school masking in early March.


Every week, Governor Hochul and her team answerer some commonly asked questions about COVID-19 and vaccinations. You can submit a question for a chance to get your question answered in her newsletter. Submit your question here

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Submitted by Katonah, NY

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