The New York State government lifted the mandate for wearing face masks. Each healthcare facility will now get to decide on its own whether or not face masks are required to be worn within the premises.
Masks Off
A letter was issued by the Deputy Commissioners at the New York State Department of Health, John Morley, MD, and Adam S. Herbst, Esq. It was addressed to CEOs and administrators concerning the mandatory wearing of face masks.
The letter with the subject "NYSDOH Guidance for use of Face Masks and Face Coverings in Healthcare Facilities," said that all personnel, regardless of Covid-19 vaccination status in a healthcare setting should wear an appropriate mask.
The advisory was effective starting February 12th, 2023, and mentioned that it supersedes all previous NYSDOH guidance. The policy for masks was based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation (CDC).
However, recommendations are not the same as requirements, as pointed out by Forbes. The NYSDOH "affirms" the importance of nonpharmacological infection prevention strategies in health care settings, which includes wearing appropriate masks.
They did not mention explicitly that it is mandatory, only that it does not affect the requirements under the "Regulation for Prevention of Influenza Transmission by Healthcare and Residential Facility and Agency Personnel."
Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over, there were a couple of raised eyebrows over the advisory. Others like Madandate Masks NY have expressed their disappointment over the announcement as they see the move as a health risk.
Disapproval with the Advisory
People, both in healthcare and not, have voiced their opinions on the new policy and said that it was the wrong move. Dr. James McDonald said in a statement that the pandemic is not yet over, and yet people are already moving to a transition.
A spokesperson for the Greater New York Hospital Association, Brian Conway, said that hospitals in the state have been prepared for the mandate to expire and that they would remain "hypervigilant for spikes in transmissible infections."
Even with the lifting of the mandate, New York City's public hospital system will continue to require masks in its facilities, as mentioned in The New York Times. Still, organizations like Mandate Masks NY are trying to reverse the new policy.
The organization mentioned that New York State's decision on the mandate of masks for healthcare settings put all New Yorkers at risk. They added that doing it with the continuing COVID-19 transmission shows the state abandoning its responsibility for public health.
On Mandate Masks NY's website, there is an online form that can be filled out to send to Governor Kathy Hochul, Acting Health Commissioner James McDonald, New York State Senator, and Assembly members.
At the time of writing, 1,387 letters have already been sent, with the goal of 1,600. The form consists of fields for an individual's first name, last name, email, street address, city, and postal code. The postal code will have to be a New York State zip code.
