New York continues to enforce mask mandate for public transit due to variant spread, governor says

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New Yorkers will still be required to wear masks on public transit for the "short term." 

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Tuesday COVID-19 briefing in Syracuse that there is a "rising tide" of coronavirus cases in the Empire State that stopped the reversal of restrictions. 

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"Monday there was a legal ruling at the federal level … that masks were no longer needed in very congested settings like public transit, our buses, New York City, the subway. But, it was overturned in court for procedural reasons," she told reporters. 

Hochul said that the emergence of highly transmissible omicron variants was to blame. 

"We believe that in certain settings for now – if we hadn't seen these two variants – I suspect we would have been able to say ‘goodbye’ to masks in all settings," Hochul explained. "But, you know we watched for variants, they come and now we're starting to see cases and hospitalizations go up."

"So, we're going to continue in the short term again for public transit, our correctional facilities, our nursing homes, health care settings, domestic violence [shelters]," she continued. 

She told New Yorkers to "just be smart about it." 

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"I think people do feel better when they're in public transit, sitting really close to somebody to know that people are [protecting] themselves. And again, this is very much in the short term," Hochul noted. "We will get there."

On Tuesday, the governor tweeted that masks were still required on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs subways, buses and trains.

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"Do your part to keep your neighbors safe. Get vaccinated, get tested, stay home if you feel sick, and wear a mask in settings where required, like on public transit and in health care facilities," she said. 

The New York Daily News said that the Taxi and Limousine Commission would follow suit.

The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes the requirement is still necessary.

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President Biden said Tuesday that the decision to mask up on planes is up to Americans. 

Many airlines have made mask wearing optional.