NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York will require face coverings at all state-regulated child care facilities effective immediately, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.
Children ages two and up, staff members and visitors at day care centers that are run, licensed, certified or approved by the state will be required to wear masks, Hochul said in a press release.
The mandate applies to “child care centers, home-based group family and family child care programs, after-school child care programs and enrolled legally exempt group programs,” the release said.
Masks will also be mandatory at state congregate programs and facilities, including substance abuse programs, juvenile detention programs, inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities and congregate foster care programs, according to the release.
“With the Delta variant on the rise, requiring masks at state-regulated child care, mental health, and substance abuse facilities is a key part of our broader strategy for slowing the spread of the virus, reopening our economy safely, and protecting vulnerable members of our population,” Hochul said in a statement.
“For children under 12 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, masks are the best line of defense against COVID-19 infection,” she added. “This new mask requirement ensures that children in our child care facilities receive the same protection as children in our schools.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended universal indoor masking for anyone ages two or above who has not been vaccinated and does not have a medical condition that prevents mask use, the release noted.
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