Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As New York State lifts its requirement for masks on public transit like subways and buses, the concern for some public health experts continues over whether this could lead to increased spread of COVID or the flu.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday masks were no longer required for subways, buses or other forms of mass transit. She also asked everyone to respect others' judgments in deciding whether to wear masks.
Related
For those concerned about whether a mask optional policy will increase the chance of COVID spread, UB's Dr. Tom Russo says we've reached a point of personal responsibility. "I think that it's unlikely, unless a new variant emerges that could evade the immunity walls that we're building, that we'll see new, more stringent restrictions," says Russo. "Each person needs to make the decision about what their relative risk is how risk adverse they are, in, given that assessment, make the best personal decision for themselves," which optimally is a combination of vaccination and masking.
Russo notes masking is imperfect, but does add a layer of protection for those individuals, especially those vulnerable at risk for more severe disease. He recommends going ahead with masking and making sure that you're vaccinated against both COVID and influenza.
At the NFTA, Helen Tederous says signs requiring masking are coming down at the airport and at Metro Bus and Rail stops. "We will not be reminding people at the airport periodically, so it does change our operation," says Tederous. She says it's back to pre-pandemic time so it's back to normal operations.
Tederous says she's heard from both sides of the issue, some complaining about the mask requirement, others unhappy it will become mask optional. "I think that the most questions that we've received have been about the mandate, and people were just very interested," says Tederous, who notes she's received numerous phone calls on the issue.
The state health department made the announcement based on CDC guidelines.