#Judge rules Kathy Hochul’s statewide mask mandate stays in place for now

ALBANY — New York’s statewide mask mandate will remain in place for now, after an appeals court judge granted a motion Tuesday to pause a decision made by a lower court that lifted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s edict for businesses. 

State Attorney General Letitia James filed the motion on the ruling made Monday by a Long Island judge tossing a Nov. 24 order by Hochul that businesses without mandatory vaccination policies require all workers, customers and guests wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The order was granted by Associate Justice Robert Miller, of the Appellate Division, Second Department.

“I commend the Attorney General for her defense of the health and safety of New Yorkers, and applaud the Appellate Division, Second Department for siding with common sense and granting an interim stay to keep the state’s important masking regulations in place,” Hochul said in a statement after the ruling. “We will not stop fighting to protect New Yorkers, and we are confident we will continue to prevail.”

A hearing on the mandates is scheduled on Friday.

“The mask mandate remains in effect for schools across the state. We support Governor Hochul and the state Department of Health as they continue with the appeal. We thank the members of our school communities for their patience during this process,” said state Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa in a statement in response to the decision.

The Nassau County judge’s decision didn’t touch the New York City Department of Education mask mandate, as it was issued prior to Hochul’s rule.

But several school districts on Long Island notified parents and kids Tuesday morning they would be dropping the mask rule in response to the order, while Mayor Eric Adams said city schools would also keep the mask mandate.