New York State Has Dropped Its Indoor Mask Mandate, Here’s What You Need to Know

In response to careening Covid-19 case numbers following this winter’s Omicron surge, Governor Hochul announced this week that she will be ending New York State’s mask mandates for businesses and other indoor spaces. 

That doesn’t mean you should toss your mask. The mandates, which require patrons to either wear masks inside businesses or show proof of vaccination, were put in place in December in response to rising case numbers. Individual businesses still have the right to require masking, and masks will continue to be mandatory for schools, public transportation, state health-care settings, nursing homes, correctional facilities and homeless shelters, as well as in federal buildings and in airports.

In New York City, you are required to mask indoors if unvaccinated. The Key to NYC initiative put in place by the de Blasio administration — which requires you to show proof of vaccination before entering restaurants, theaters, museums, gyms and arenas — is still in place. And even with state and citywide case numbers dropping, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend masking up even if the business you’re entering doesn’t require it. We’re not out of the woods just yet. 

photo: iStock