NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Masks must be worn in all indoor public places in New York state that aren't already subject to a proof-of-vaccination requirement, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday.
The new statewide mask mandate is “to address the winter surge,” Hochul said, and it comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising statewide.
Businesses and venues must implement a mask requirement if they don't require proof of fully vaccinated status, the governor said.
The new requirement extends to both patrons and staff.
The mandate takes effect on Monday, Dec. 13. It lasts until Jan. 15, when the state will reassess it.
The governor's office said a violation of any provision of the measure is subject to all civil and criminal penalties, including a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation. Local health departments are being asked to enforce the requirements.
At a morning news briefing, Hochul said officials are seeing a trend of increasing cases, just like last year, as the weather gets colder and people gather together indoors for the holiday season.
“We are entering a time of uncertainty,” the governor said. “And we can either plateau here or our cases could escalate beyond control. We are starting upward. I’ve been watching this closely. We’re heading upward in a direction that I find is no longer sustainable.”
Hochul said her two priorities are protecting the health of New Yorkers and the health of the state’s economy.
“I don’t want to go back ever again to that place where people couldn’t go to their jobs safely, couldn’t congregate, kids couldn’t go to schools,” she said. “That isolation had a devastating effect on the human condition, and we’re still dealing with the fallout today. So to avoid that situation, I am announcing that we are enacting a statewide indoor mask mandate, unless a business has a vaccination mandate.”
Hochul noted that New York City—where residents have already been subject to measures like a vaccine requirement for restaurants and entertainment venues—has better infection rates, hospital capacity and vaccination numbers than other parts of New York.
“But the rest of the state now has a wakeup call,” Hochul said. “I’ve been warning if we can’t get more people vaccinated or boosted, I have to protect people but also the economy.”
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