Temporary Statewide Mask Mandate Goes into Effect Today

By Yehudit Garmaise

Masks are now required to be worn in all indoor public places statewide unless businesses or venues implement vaccine requirements, Gov. Hochul said, following up on the announcement she made on Friday when she said that this measure is effective until Jan. 15, 2022, when she will re-evaluate what is necessary to prevent the spread of COVID. 

“An indoor public place,” said the governor, who hopes to bring added layers of protection during winter, when New Yorkers spend more time indoors, “is defined as any indoor space that is not a private residence.”

All businesses and venues that are publicly or privately-owned, the governor said, are places that now require masks, although Gov. Hochul said today that she hopes local counties will uphold the mandate, which the state will not enforce.

Several localities, including Rockland and Nassau Counties, have already said that they will not enforce the governor's mask mandate.

For counties that do comply: office buildings, grocery stores, restaurants, shopping centers, pharmacies, houses of worship, indoor entertainment venues, concert halls, indoor sports stadiums, recreational spaces, and common areas in residential buildings, for now, require masks.

"As governor, my top priority is to protect the health of New Yorkers and the health of our economy,” said Gov. Hochul, who added that she "shares everyone's frustration that we have gotten to this point, especially with the vaccine at our disposal.

“These temporary measures will help us get through the holiday season safely.

“I want to thank the millions of New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. We are all in this together and if others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary."   

When Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked this morning how Gov. Hochul’s mask mandate would be enforced in the five boroughs, he said, “We are going to work with the state to implement this mask mandate.

“What we found is, when we communicate with businesses, treat them with respect and a spirit of cooperation, we get very good results.”

The mayor, who said he “respected the governor’s decision [to issue a mask mandate], and we have been working cooperatively,” said that City Hall would be “doing a lot to educate the businesses on this new rule, hear their concerns, and answer their questions.

“What we want is a high level of compliance, but we want to do it in a very cooperative way.”

Although the mayor supports Gov. Hochul’s temporary mask mandate, he emphasized that “Obviously, the central strategy of this city has been first and foremost vaccination, and that will continue to be the case.”

Other measures the city is taking to prevent the spread of both the Delta and the Omicron variants is to increase “the city’s massive testing infrastructure,” as Dave Chokshi, MD, the city’s health commissioner called it, by doubling its Test & Trace Corps mobile fleet. 

“We are ready for this wave,” said Ted Long, MD, who heads the city’s Test & Trace Corps. “All we need is for you and other New Yorkers to come out and get tested. 

For New Yorkers who are older than 65 or who are immunocompromised, they can request at-home testing at ny.gov covid test, seven days a week, pointed out Dr. Chokshi, who added, “We also have in-home vaccination for anyone who would like it. 

“You can request an appointment by going to nyc.gov/vaccine.”

“The bottom line is we will do everything we need to do to make testing, vaccination, and other COVID safety measures as accessible as possible for New Yorkers.”

“We need everyone to do their part to get through this together," said Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, New York’s health commissioner.