Governor Kathy Hochul‘s statewide mask mandate was granted a full stay by a State Appeals Court on Monday.
The mandate had been given a “temporary stay” by the Appellate Division on January 25th after State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker ruled on January 24th that the mandate violates the New York State Constitution.
On Friday, Hochul extended her “mask or proof of vaccination” policy for all indoor public places through at least February 10 and said she will re-evaluate the policy every two weeks.
Hochul made the statement Monday, “I commend the Appellate Division, Second Department for granting a full stay to keep our masking regulations in place for the duration of our appeal. My primary responsibility as Governor is to keep New Yorkers safe. Mask regulations keep our schools and businesses safe and open, protect vulnerable New Yorkers, and are critical tools as we work to get through this winter surge. Thanks to our efforts, including mask regulations, cases are declining and we are seeing major progress in the fight against COVID-19. I thank the Attorney General and her team for their defense of these common sense measures, and I am confident we will continue to prevail. We are committed to doing everything in our power to keep New Yorkers safe.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James also released the following statement: “We are pleased by the Appellate Division, Second Department’s decision today to preserve the statewide mask mandate pending the appeal. Wearing a mask saves lives. The mask mandate and today’s decision will help in our efforts to fight back this virus. My office will continue to use its full authority to keep New Yorkers safe.”
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