Hochul: Decision on mask mandate for indoor public places on Wednesday

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she will announce on Wednesday whether to extend a mask mandate for indoor public places, but added that it is "premature" to make a decision on continuing the order for schools.

Lifting the mandate for New York schools would be easier, Hochul said Monday, if more parents got their children vaccinated for "that suit of armor they need to be protected."

Meanwhile, leading health experts on Long Island were divided Monday over whether to end the mandate for indoor public places, including restaurants, stores, gyms and theaters.

Some said the time is right, while others warned about setting off another COVID-19 surge.

The mask mandate for indoor public places, which calls for people entering to either wear a face covering or show proof of vaccination, expires Thursday. The deadline for extending or dropping the schools requirement is Feb. 21.

Hochul's Monday update came as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that his state will lift its school mask mandate on March 7. And in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday he is recommending the state end its mask mandate for schools on Feb. 28.

Hochul singled out children in the 5-to-11 age group statewide, in which about 30% have gotten two shots, compared to about 70% of 12 to 17-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I know we can do better than that," she said. "I want to be optimistic, I am optimistic that we are trending in that direction" of ending the school mask mandate, "but I still need the time and I’m assessing."

She added: "It’s just premature at this time to talk about it."

Health experts in support of ending the mandate for indoor public places said some businesses and customers are already ignoring the requirement, effectively moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As cautious and generally as conservative and as pro-mask as I generally am, I do think that rates are dramatically lower," said Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology for Northwell Health. "I do think it is time to react and open up in view of the data."

Farber said he'd have "no problem getting rid of the mask mandate in public spaces … because I think the trajectory is so much lower than it was before."

Long Island registered 515 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, and the seven-day positivity level dropped to 5.25%. Statewide, 90 people, including 12 in Suffolk and one in Nassau, died Sunday of causes linked to the virus.

Martine Hackett, director of public health programs at Hofstra University, agreed with Farber.

Given the falling COVID-19 indicators, "I think it possibly is time for her to remove that indoor mask mandate," Hackett said of Hochul.

Other area health experts said it is too soon to change course.

The state should keep mask mandates, especially since so many children remain unvaccinated, as well as a substantial portion of adults, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.

"I'm cautious and prefer to think we need another few days to see the numbers have totally dropped," she said. "My worry is that if we end the mask mandate now, and perhaps rather abruptly, then will we see a rebound in omicron cases?"

"Remember omicron is not gone," Nachman added, "it’s going down."

Sean Clouston, an associate professor of public health at Stony Brook University, said he favors a "stepped approach" for indoor spaces.

It would be acceptable to allow big stores like Walmart and Target, which have good air ventilation and plenty of space for social distancing to drop the mandate starting Thursday, Clouston said.

At smaller businesses where people are packed together, Clouston added, the mask requirement should remain in place longer.

"I still think masks are pretty easy to use and very effective," he said. "I think we'd be remiss in dropping" the mandate immediately.

He also said that smaller locations such as restaurants should require patrons to show proof of vaccination before entering if the mask mandate is dropped.

New York City has instituted such a requirement for many indoor public places, but officials on Long Island have resisted doing so.

Dr. Aaron Glatt, chair of the department of medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, said it is "reasonable" to drop the mandate Thursday.

For people who are fully vaccinated and boosted "the likelihood of them running into serious medical complications are very, very low" if they get infected, he said. People with underlying health problems could avoid the indoor spaces, he said.

Dropping the mandate won't likely lead to another surge, Glatt added.

Farber said he expects the school mandate to be dropped in the coming weeks though that situation is more complex.

"Personally, I would drag my feet a little bit with the schools," Farber said. "I am concerned that even primary vaccination rates are very low in the 5- to 11-year-old group, and they are better but they are not phenomenal in the 12- to 18-year-old group."

Hackett also said the time is likely coming to drop the school mask mandate, though probably in March as opposed to Feb. 21, since the cold weather may start to break next month, allowing for open windows and improved air circulation.

Circumstances are significantly improved since when the mandate was first imposed in 2020, Hackett said, pointing to the availability of the vaccine, among other factors.

"I think we have to look at the time we’re in right now. A lot has changed since then," she said.

The low vaccination rates among children remain a concern, Hackett said, adding that situation won't likely change unless the governor mandates the shots for schools, just like for other diseases such as measles and chickenpox.

Clouston said the school mandate should continue at least until April, when warmer weather could help cut back on potential viral transmission.

Without masks, he said, schools can be dangerous vectors of transmission because students are in proximity to each other for hours each day. With many younger children unvaccinated, they can get infected with the virus but be asymptomatic — and then go home and infect older family members, he said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has said that masking greatly reduces transmission of COVID-19 in schools.

The New York State Council of School Superintendents on Monday told state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett in a letter that it is time "to transition schools out from a pandemic learning environment."

Basset should end uncertainty about the masks, the letter continued, by publicly laying out what COVID-19 levels the state will require for it to drop the face covering mandate.

Schoolchildren in New York have worn masks since September 2020.

Some business leaders said they think most businesses are adhering to the public places mandate, but want it dropped as soon as possible.

While businesses have reported very few problems with customer compliance, they’re ready to ditch masks when it’s safe to do so, said Eileen Tyznar, president of the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce.

"People are just really hoping that the numbers go down enough where we don't have to have masks," Tyznar said.

With Scott Eidler, Ted Phillips and AP

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