Mobile users click here

Video Disclaimer:

This video was recorded prior to Governor Hochul's press conference held earlier today, February 9, 2022. Today the Governor indicated that the statewide indoor mask mandate for most businesses will be repealed effective tomorrow, but the mask mandate for schools, buses, and certain other places will remain in effect beyond February 21, 2022. She said that in early March she will "make an assessment on protocols based on the latest metrics." She indicated that no single metric will be used to determine when to lift the school mask mandate and that it would be based on her evaluation of a combination of metrics including cases per 100,000, percent positivity, hospital admissions, pediatric hospitalizations, vaccination rates, and global trends.The Governor did not indicate what thresholds might be used for any of these metrics.

In describing her plan to wait until next month, the Governor referenced her discussions with parents, teachers, and administrators - including a Zoom call with Superintendents yesterday, February 8, 2022. She said, "We solicited their input, their advice, and I believe they felt comfortable with this approach." I respectfully disagree; I am not comfortable with this approach and another month of uncertainty. Individually I have written directly to the Governor that "it is imperative for the state to share the next steps for retiring the current health guidelines and aligning them to the relevant statistics for today" and that "a state exit plan must be created and shared with communities so that school districts can move forward." 

Discrepancies still remain between the lifting of the mask requirements in some settings while keeping them in place in other settings. The District continues to advocate for a clear direction on the Governor's future intentions for mask mandates.

View Dr.Ike’s Advocacy Letters here