New York lifts indoor mask mandates as COVID-19 cases drop

New
York on Wednesday became the latest Democrat-run state in the United States to
withdraw mask mandates, signalling the return of normal life in one of
America’s worst pandemic hit states. 

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The
state governor Kathy Hochul said that she would not extend the indoor mask
mandate for business. The ongoing mandate expires on Thursday. Hochul, however,
said that wearing masks is now an individual decision.

But,
wearing masks at schools remains mandatory in New York. Her announcement came
after several states lifted mask mandates required to follow in indoor places
and schools, as coronavirus infections continued to decline in the US.

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The
mask mandate withdrawals signalled a move towards a policy of accepting COVID-19 as part of everyday life.

Hochul
said coronavirus cases in New York had fallen 93 per cent since early January,
adding that the state was “trending in a very, very good direction.”

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“That
is why we are now approaching a new phase in this pandemic,” she told
reporters.

In
California, wearing masks indoors for vaccinated residents is set to end on
February 15. Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors though,
said Governor Gavin Newsom.

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In
Oregon, Governor Kate Brown has said that she will lift mask requirements
before March 31. Delaware governor John Carney announced that his state’s
indoor mask mandate will expire on Friday and that masks in schools will end by
March 31.

New
Jersey governor Phil Murphy led the way for the spate of rollbacks, announcing
that children and staff would not need to wear masks in schools from March 7.

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Connecticut
quickly took followed the suit, with Ned Lamont saying he was recommending that
school boards drop mandatory mask-wearing in schools after February 28.

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Though
these states lifted the mask mandates, individual school boards can still take
decisions related to wearing masks in schools.