New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will end the controversial mask mandate on Thursday, according to a report in the New York Times.
While the science of coronavirus transmission has not changed since the beginning of the pandemic, Hochul will announce an end to the restriction on Wednesday with implementation occurring the day after, the Times reported.
New York State joins other Democratic states including New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Delaware, and California in easing the mandates in the coming month, with Connecticut weighing the decision as others have been doing almost since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Meanwhile, the Republican-led states of Florida and Texas banned mask mandates long ago.
The wave of Democrat-controlled states’ suddenly changing of direction comes as the White House has pivoted from “mandate culture” towards reaching a “new normal” under duress from poor coronavirus polling ahead of the November midterms.
A sign on the door of a coffee shop in Manhattan ask for proof of vaccination and the wearing of a mask on the day that a mask mandate went into effect in New York on December 13, 2021 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
In order to improve the economy before the midterms, the White House’s coronavirus response director, Jeff Zients, told reporters last week the nation is inching closer to when the coronavirus will no longer “disrupt our daily lives.”
“Our progress over the last year and the tools we now have certainly allow us to get closer to a time when COVID doesn’t disrupt our daily lives but is something we protect against and treat,” he said. “As we make more progress against omicron, we’ll, you know, get closer to that point.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends masks stay in place, noting President Joe Biden has outsourced political decision-making to select health experts that do not take into account social or economic costs of their health guidance.
“Our responsibility as the federal government is to rely on the data and the science that is being analyzed by our public health experts,” she said.
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