The long lines that stretched outside of pop-up Covid-19 testing sites are gone.
Hospitals are no longer in danger of being overwhelmed.
Close to 9 out of 10 New Yorkers have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.
Factoring in all of that, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that the state's mask mandate on indoor public spaces will expire as scheduled on Thursday.
That means, you'll no longer have to wear a mask or show proof of vaccination when going into a restaurant or grocery store or just about any other business in the state of New York.
"New Yorkers, this is what we've been waiting for," Hochul said in a news conference from Manhattan, ahead of her declaration.
But there are some notable exceptions.
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The statewide mask mandate on primary schools is remaining in place – at least for another month, Hochul said.
Hochul's plan is to distribute Covid testing kits to students ahead of the February break, which begins Feb. 21, and factor those results in a new assessment during the first week of March. She called it a "strong possibility" that the school mask mandate could be dropped by March 7.
Also, Hochul said masks will continue to be required for health care facilities, nursing homes, correctional facilities and on public transportation.
In addition, local governments and businesses are allowed to require masks or proof of vaccination, a standard that Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said he intends to follow for the time being.
Hochul had put the indoor mask mandate into effect two months ago in anticipation of a winter surge, similar to what happened during the first winter of the pandemic.
This winter's surge ended up being even more pronounced.
Two variants of Covid – Delta and Omicron – were to blame as it became clear that vaccines couldn't stop their spread, although they helped prevent hospitalizations and deaths.
The Omicron variant spread especially fast through New York. The first case of the variant was confirmed on Dec. 1. By Jan. 7, 2022, at what would be the peak of the Omicron wave, more than 90,000 people in New York State tested positive for Covid on that day. In comparison, at the height of the previous winter, just under 20,000 people tested positive in a day.
But Omicron turned out to be less lethal and put a lower rate of people in the hospital. It also appears to be disappearing quickly; on Feb. 9, the state recorded just over 6,000 new positive cases.
"Why is all this happening? Because New Yorkers and businesses stepped up and did the right thing," she said, defending her decision to impose the indoor mask mandate. "And I will always be grateful for them for being the reason these numbers have been declining."
Yet, she cautioned, that the end of mask wearing indoors and discussions about ending it in schools doesn't mean Covid-19 is gone.
"This pandemic is not over. It is not over," she said. "That is why we're still going to maintain protections for vulnerable populations in areas where people are very concentrated because I want people to feel safe. I want people to still feel safe when they come into the cities and go to their jobs, that they're not going to contract this virus."
Until now, indoor businesses were directed to require proof of vaccination or masking while on the premises.
"Thank you to the business owners – it wasn't easy," Hochul said Wednesday as she announced the mandate going away.
Businesses and other organizations in Western New York were deciding their next steps, as they digested the news from Hochul.
Wegmans said customers shopping in its stores will no longer be required to wear masks, starting Thursday.
KeyBank said customers in its branches won't have to wear masks, except in local jurisdictions that require masks. Its employees will continue wearing masks inside the bank's area facilities.
Independent Health, which has offices in Amherst, is weighing a number of factors before deciding what to do about its current masking policy for employees, said Anne O'Neill, chief risk officer. The health insurer is taking into account guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the state's Health and Essential Rights Act, which protects private sector workers' rights to a safe environment; and employees' sentiments before deciding whether to modify its mask policy.
Similarly, Rich Products said it is keeping its masking policy in effect at its offices for now.
"Associate safety remains our top priority, which is why we have been and continue to operate in accordance with CDC guidelines," said Allison Conte, a spokeswoman. "Our current policies will remain in effect for the time being as we evaluate the change."
Shea's Performing Arts Center said it has not yet decided whether to make any changes to its mask and vaccine policy for patrons attending performances at the theater.
At KeyBank Center, a vaccination requirement remains in effect for fans ages 5 and older to attend events, including Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits games and concerts.
That's because the county's mask requirement for employees and guests remains in effect inside county facilities – including the downtown arena – through at least the end of February, when the policy will be reviewed. Fans attending KeyBank Center events don't have to wear masks because of the vaccine requirement.
Poloncarz confirmed Wednesday that the county would follow the state's lead in relaxing the indoor mask mandate. However, he said that the mandate for masks in county buildings would continue through Feb. 28 "at which time we will reconsider the need for such requirement based on the then designation of whether the county is at a low, moderate, substantial or high risk of Covid transmission," under terms defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Poloncarz's office said in a statement.
As of Wednesday morning, Erie County's Covid transmission rate was at 234 new cases reported over the last seven days per 100,000 residents. Anything over 100 new cases per 100,000 residents is classified as "high" transmission by the CDC. Erie County workers have had to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status since July 31.
Hochul's announcement means Niagara County no longer has a mask mandate in place either, including all public buildings except for courthouses, said Niagara County Legislature Chairman Becky Wydysh.
In an emailed statement, Wydysh expressed disappointment that Hochul "not only failed to lift the mask mandate in schools, but did not identify a clear, definitive threshold for doing so."
