Masks

New York state Gov. Hochul announces required masking is now optional within certain public spaces.

She also does not anticipate imposing new mandates anytime soon.

Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport asks travelers to wear masks, according to a statement from the TSA.

This omicron subvariant BA2.12 makes up about 30% to 40% of the current cases in Onondaga County.

A New York State health department board formalized what Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday, that school children will continue to be required to wear masks to help protect them against COVID-19 until at least early March. Nearly two dozen people testified about the extension, including the state’s school district superintendents.

State health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett says there’s no set date to get rid of New York’s COVID-19 pandemic mask mandate for schoolchildren. Bassett addressed the hot-button issue as she testified at a joint legislative budget hearing Tuesday.

Gov. Hochul has vowed to keep fighting the ruling, which deemed her mask mandate unconstitutional.

Those attending Saturday’s football game at the Dome or 2020 Commencement on Sunday can expect to see and hear more reminders about wearing masks, regardless of vaccination status. SU Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala says it'll be hard to avoid.

Governor Kathy Hochul says she does not believe health care workers in New York should be able to cite a religious exemption to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The governor, who held a briefing on the status of the coronavirus in the state, was reacting to a court decision temporarily upholding the rights of some health care workers to refuse the vaccine on religious grounds.

Pediatricians and other experts from Upstate Medical University are calling on the region’s school district superintendents to implement a universal masking policy to protect children and staff from COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant.