Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday teased changes to New York’s public transportation mask mandate, which has been in place since April 2020.
“With respect to masks, it’s absolutely in conversation right now and we’ll be making some announcements on that very shortly,” Hochul responded to a question during an unrelated transit announcement at Penn Station.
MTA officials quietly stopped tracking mask mandate compliance in April, when the federal government’s nationwide mandate was overturned in court.
But MTA studies up until that point showed 64% mask usage — a steep decline from a year earlier when surveys showed nine in 10 subway riders masked up.
Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo instituted a $50 fine for mask non-compliance in September 2020 — but few tickets have been issued, according to MTA stats.
Pressed on whether the drop in mask wearing concerned him, MTA CEO Janno Lieber in April said his team was focused on “other issues.”
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul says an announcement about the mask mandates for New York public transportation will be made soon. Matthew McDermottSome transit worker groups, meanwhile, have pushed for an end to the rule because they believe enforcement poses a safety risk to conductors.
A federal judge voided the TSA’s mask mandate on April 19, finding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority. Biden administration officials opted not to re-establish the rule.
Hochul has previously teased a “conversation” about lifting New York’s remaining requirement — but had insisted it was too soon for a change.
“I also want people to feel safe and secure — safety-wise, but also health-wise,” the governor said on June 9.
In July she said the rule gives riders a “sense of security.”
“We are trying very hard to encourage people to come back to work, use the subways, but they have to feel safe and secure,” Hochul said at the time.
