Gov. Kathy Hochul says she's going to make an announcement Wednesday about the future of New York's mask mandate for indoor public spaces, which is set to expire Thursday. She's also meeting Tuesday with education leaders in a closed-to-the-press session about what to do about the mask mandate for schools.
Her decisions will come as governors in at least five other states announced this week plans to scale back or eliminate their mandates.
As of Tuesday, there's some form of a statewide mask mandate for schools in 15 states, including New York, in addition to Washington, D.C., according to the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy. Eight states ban mask mandates in schools.
Eleven states have indoor mask mandates in place, as does Washington, D.C.
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On Monday, as cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 continued to show a dramatic drop nationwide, the governors of five states made announcements about their plans for mask mandates, according to the Associated Press.
New Jersey – Masks will no longer be required for students, staff or visitors of schools and child care centers starting March 7, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. Individual school districts and child care facilities will be allowed to require universal masking. Schools won't be allowed to bar the wearing of masks. New Jersey does not have a statewide indoor mask mandate.
Delaware – Delaware's universal indoor mask mandate will expire on Friday, Gov. John Carney said Monday. He also announced that the state’s school mask mandate will run through the end of March at which point it is scheduled to expire. That date was chosen to give parents time to get their children vaccinated.
Connecticut – Gov. Ned Lamont recommended a plan that would end Connecticut's mask mandate in schools and child care centers on Feb. 28. The decision to continue the plan would be made at the local level. The plan is contingent on the Connecticut General Assembly voting to extend the existing executive order that will expire Feb. 15, according to Lamont's office.
In Connecticut, unvaccinated people are required to wear masks in indoor public spaces where close contact is unavoidable. Lamont said he wants the mask mandates to remain in place in other settings such as "healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit, and correctional facilities," he said.
Oregon – Oregon’s mask requirements for schools will be lifted March 31. The statewide mask requirement for indoor public places will be lifted no later than the end of March, health officials announced, according to the AP. The state health department indicated that the mask requirements could be lifted sooner if the number of new cases and hospitalizations drops faster than expected.
California – California is set to drop its universal mask mandate for indoor space for vaccinated people Feb. 16. "Everyone will have to wear masks in higher-risk areas such as public transit and nursing homes and other congregate living facilities, state officials said, according to the AP. Also, local governments will be allowed to continue their own indoor masking requirements. State officials also announced that indoor “mega events” with more than 1,000 people will have to require vaccinations or negative tests, and those who are unvaccinated will be required to wear masks. In Los Angeles County, which is hosting the Super Bowl on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, which is considered an outdoor facility despite having a roof, fans will have to show proof of vaccination and wear a mask unless they're actively eating or drinking, according to KTLA News.
Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania's Supreme Court struck down the state's school mask mandate in December.
