Governor Hochul announces updated mask guidance

Albany, New York — On Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State is easing its mask rules for mass transit.

According to Hochul, the state will still encourage masks on mass transit, but they are no longer required.

Signs will be on buses, on the subway, and in other places to encourage people to wear a mask and to respect the choices of others to wear masks or to go mask-less.

Masks will still be mandatory in all adult care facilities and healthcare facilities run by the state, the governor said. She said this is not an arbitrary decision but rather one based on the numbers. She said state health officials will continue to watch the numbers.

“We’re watching global trends, we’re watching for variants, for any updates on vaccines,” Hochul said. “But we do believe that we’re in a good place, especially if New Yorkers take advantage of this booster. That’s how we get back to not just a new normal, but a ‘normal’ normal. That’s what we’re striving for.”

According to the governor, the new boosters that target two of the Omicron subvariants are going out to healthcare providers this week. Some providers are getting the boosters on Wednesday.

The rollout comes after the Centers for Disease Control approved the new shots targeting the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

On August 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was the first to approve the new boosters.