NYC Transit Mask Mandate Lifted

[LGA Link N Train]

About time... 

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/07/new-york-mask-mandate-public-transit-correctional-facilities-00055199

Quote

By SHANNON YOUNG

09/07/2022 12:19 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. —- New Yorkers are no longer required, but still encouraged, to wear masks on subway trains, correctional facilities, detention centers and homeless shelters, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.

Key context: The ending of the state’s facial covering requirement for public transportation and certain congregant settings — some of the last pandemic-era restrictions still in place in the state — comes amid a decline in Covid-19 cases and as the Hochul administration looks to lure more New Yorkers and visitors back to New York City.
 

The transit mask mandate was one of the last ones in the nation.

Masks, however, must still be worn in health care settings and adult care facilities, including nursing homes. Signs will be posted in transit centers to encourage mask use, but also note they are optional.

What they said: “We have to restore some normalcy to our lives,” Hochul announced during a late-morning event in New York City. “Starting today, the Department of Health will be issuing new guidance regarding masks based on the CDC guidance. Masks will be optional.”

The governor said the decision to lift the mask mandate was based on the stabilization of Covid rates in the state. Health Commissioner Mary Bassett added that nursing homes and health care facilities are still requiring facial coverings due to the risks of Covid spread in such settings.

“This is to protect everyone in a health care facility, where we know there will be people infected,” she said. “The same goes for nursing homes.”

Background: The announcement came just one day after Hochul said her administration was considering whether to end the public transportation facial covering requirement. “We’ll be talking about making some announcements on that very shortly,” she told reporters at Penn Station Tuesday when asked if she was considering spiking the mandate.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority still required masks to be worn at indoor train stations and on subways, the commuter rail, buses and paratransit vehicles, even though the state had ended similar mandates for other sectors and compliance with the policy had declined. A court order ended the federal public transportation mask mandate in April. Hochul said at the time that the MTA would still require masks “in accordance with the [Department of Health’s] determination.”

Aside from public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs, the state had required masks to be worn in health care facilities, adult care facilities, correctional facilities and detention centers, and homeless and other shelters.

The announcement Wednesday also comes as the Democratic governor is seeking a full term in November and has been knocked by Republican foes for retaining any Covid safety mandates.

By the numbers: Hochul said her decisions are based on the data, and New York reported a seven-day average of about 19 Covid cases per 100,000 population both statewide and in New York City as of Tuesday — about half of the rates reported just over a month ago.

But while Covid cases have dropped in recent weeks, public health officials have raised concerns that the virus could see a resurgence this fall as it has in previous years.

Hochul urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated and boosted against Covid, and she received her Omicron booster shot Wednesday in front of reporters at Boriken Neighborhood Health Center in New York City to encourage New Yorkers to do the same. The vaccine, which was developed to target Covid’s Omicron subvariants, is now available at local health care providers after being approved by the CDC in recent days.

“Having a booster shot tailored to a specific variant is significant,” she told reporters. “It’s the first time that we’ve been able to achieve that. And that makes me very hopeful that this will be an extraordinarily effective booster shot.”

What are y'all's thoughts on this?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Long overdue. I only wear a mask now on the express bus, otherwise, nowhere else. 

[LGA Link N Train]

2 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Long overdue. I only wear a mask now on the express bus, otherwise, nowhere else. 

Same. Although the only reason I do is because IDK how the B/O will react to being maskless cause I had a QM42 B/O ask me to put on a mask one time when going home from the city, thankfully I had one on me at the time.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

8 minutes ago, LGA Link N Train said:

Same. Although the only reason I do is because IDK how the B/O will react to being maskless cause I had a QM42 B/O ask me to put on a mask one time when going home from the city, thankfully I had one on me at the time.

Yeah well since they were required, I always wore one. There was one time when I forgot it in my office and couldn't find it so I said screw it, as I was not missing my bus for that. Driver didn't care. I keep a bunch of extras at home though just in case. Even gave a driver I know a few, as he always would forget then ask if I had extras, so I brought him two from home one morning. lol

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Eh, I'm indifferent to it given that everyone was doing their own thing for a while before this announcement. If it was barely enforced, then why bother having it  for as long as they did. There was a time where most people wore masks, that was quite a while ago though as most other places in the city have dropped the mask requirements.

Out of the different groups in more recent times, it felt like bus riders were more prone to wearing masks over rail users of all types. 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[Calvin]

To me, I won't be in need of wearing a mask if there's one or two on the same subway car as me. Although, I keep mask(s) on my commute during the rush hour ride to avoid passing a cough from one to another. 

[Trainmaster5]

Since I rarely ride the subways or the LIRR anymore I have a different opinion than most. First of all I come from a generation that didn't believe half of what the government said. That's on any level of government. Civil Rights and the Vietnam War were right at the top. Go forward a few decades and 9/11 happened. I remember Christine Todd Whitman, G.W. Bush and Rudy G declaring that the air was safe down at Ground Zero. I operated my train with the AC off from 14th St-Union Square to Borough Hall in Brooklyn at 10 mph (IIRC) so as not disturb the debris level that had collected on the platforms and tracks down there. A friend of mine was threatened with write-ups because he refused to stop wearing his mask after the all-clear was issued. Luckily he was a union rep that made them back off. 20+ years later there's still a 9/11 fund in existence. I'm vaxxed and boosted and ready for my next booster if/when it's offered. I'll stay masked no matter how many sideways glances I get. Airborne disease risks are lessened by wearing the correct precautions like masks. Oh, BTW, guess what. Vaccines and masks help prevent the transmission of Polio. There are quite a few people in the metropolitan area who aren't polio vaccinated, by choice, who don't give a damn about anyone else except themselves and their immediate family. In summation I wish everyone safe travels, no matter one's stance. Just be aware of the risks. Be safe. Carry on.

[Far rockaway]

this was way long over due. The governor keeping the mask mandate for public transit after the CDC mandate was struck down by a Florida judge had nothing to do with public health. It was a political move.  The governor should of lifted the mask mandate right after the CDC mandate was struck down by a court order. I feel like the governor was using the mask mandate as a form of abuse and power and gaining control. 

[Lex]

4 hours ago, Far rockaway said:

this was way long over due. The governor keeping the mask mandate for public transit after the CDC mandate was struck down by a Florida judge had nothing to do with public health. It was a political move.  The governor should of lifted the mask mandate right after the CDC mandate was struck down by a court order. I feel like the governor was using the mask mandate as a form of abuse and power and gaining control. 

Like the Florida judge striking the CDC mandate down?

[Trainmaster5]

On 9/11/2022 at 5:15 AM, Lex said:

Like the Florida judge striking the CDC mandate down?

I bet your response goes over a lot of people’s heads. Should have used the /s.

[Far rockaway]

On 9/11/2022 at 5:15 AM, Lex said:

Like the Florida judge striking the CDC mandate down?

No. That was the right decision. The federal mask mandate had control over local jurisdictions in which the CDC had no authority.

[NewFlyer 230]

This is welcomed news over here lol.

I always found it unnecessary to have a mask mandate on public transportation when that mandate was lifted in most other places in society. As time went on more and more people stopped caring because there was no penalty for violating the mandate. Most MTA personal stopped caring a long time ago. A lot of NICE bus drivers to my surprise really enforced it and would stop the bus and kick you off. 
 

Now people get to choose whether or not they want to wear a mask and honestly that’s how it should have been a long time ago. 

[Trainmaster5]

3 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

This is welcomed news over here lol.

I always found it unnecessary to have a mask mandate on public transportation when that mandate was lifted in most other places in society. As time went on more and more people stopped caring because there was no penalty for violating the mandate. Most MTA personal stopped caring a long time ago. A lot of NICE bus drivers to my surprise really enforced it and would stop the bus and kick you off. 
 

Now people get to choose whether or not they want to wear a mask and honestly that’s how it should have been a long time ago. 

Are you suggesting that a person that knows they're infected with CV-19, Polio, Typhus, TB, or the like can knowingly travel amongst the general public and not take any precautions ? . Sounds like you feel like it's every man for himself and screw the other guy. I could be wrong but that's my take on your comment. To each his own. Carry on.

[Lex]

15 hours ago, Far rockaway said:

No. That was the right decision. The federal mask mandate had control over local jurisdictions in which the CDC had no authority.

That's an interesting claim. What's it based on?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

9 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Are you suggesting that a person that knows they're infected with CV-19, Polio, Typhus, TB, or the like can knowingly travel amongst the general public and not take any precautions ? . Sounds like you feel like it's every man for himself and screw the other guy. I could be wrong but that's my take on your comment. To each his own. Carry on.

Well it wasn't like the mandate was actually enforced, so in essence, someone could do just that. 

Someone in my group DMed me the other day complaining that they don't think that the mandate should've ended. There will always be people that don't think the mandate should EVER end. Myself, I take a more pragmatic approach. If you have underlying conditions or simply feel more comfortable wearing a mask on public transit to protect your health, go for it, but there are some people using it as a political statement, as if a mask makes them somehow smarter or superior to those that choose not to. That's when it becomes stupid, like the people I see traveling ALONE in their car double masked. Give me a break. Meanwhile, some of those very people have caught COVID, sometimes more than once. 

In large crowds, that is when mask wearing was recommended, and that makes sense given the increased exposure, but again, enforcement was non-existent. I also found it hypocritical that in some cases I'd see buses where all of the passengers were masked, but the driver was unmasked. Either it's a mandate for everyone, or don't bother. I asked someone at the  about that off the record a while back and they said it's complicated because workers weren't given PPE at the beginning and that I remember and understand, but what does that have to do with the here and now? The whole thing has created so much drama. Now that the mandate is lifted, now you have drivers that weren't wearing masks all masked up. lol

What I'm confused on is logically, when we have fewer treatments and higher cases, that would be the time to be masked up, yet that wasn't happening with some people. Cases supposedly are coming down now and now those people are suddenly masked up.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[lornaevo]

It seems like more people wear masks on the bus now, than when the mandate was in effect. Almost all customers today had a mask on. 

[Maxwell179]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:41 PM, LGA Link N Train said:

About time... 

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/07/new-york-mask-mandate-public-transit-correctional-facilities-00055199

What are y'all's thoughts on this?

I feel like if there’s any place to wear a mask , the train should be it. It’s so many people coming from different areas and environments with other people in a confined space so masks would be the best option to keep everyone safe

[NewFlyer 230]

On 9/15/2022 at 10:44 PM, Trainmaster5 said:

Are you suggesting that a person that knows they're infected with CV-19, Polio, Typhus, TB, or the like can knowingly travel amongst the general public and not take any precautions ? . Sounds like you feel like it's every man for himself and screw the other guy. I could be wrong but that's my take on your comment. To each his own. Carry on.

No not at all. The last thing I said in my previous response is that there should have been a choice as to whether or not you want to wear a mask because let’s be realistic here. What is the purpose of get the vax and taking all the boosters if I still needed to wear a mask just like those who never took anything. It would have been unrealistic to check for everyone’s vaccine card when using public transportation which is why when the vaccine mandate/mask mandates were lifted in many places they should have lifted them on the buses and trains too because a lot of people including drivers stopped caring after a while. A bus driver isn’t going to risk their lives telling someone to put on a mask especially with how out of control some people are. 

[Lex]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

No not at all. The last thing I said in my previous response is that there should have been a choice as to whether or not you want to wear a mask because let’s be realistic here. What is the purpose of get the vax and taking all the boosters if I still needed to wear a mask just like those who never took anything. It would have been unrealistic to check for everyone’s vaccine card when using public transportation which is why when the vaccine mandate/mask mandates were lifted in many places they should have lifted them on the buses and trains too because a lot of people including drivers stopped caring after a while. A bus driver isn’t going to risk their lives telling someone to put on a mask especially with how out of control some people are. 

Because it's still possible for breakthrough infections to occur? Because there are many other airborne viruses and bacteria that can make people sick? Because there are other airborne particles that can cause problems (pollen being a big one)?

[NewFlyer 230]

1 hour ago, Lex said:

Because it's still possible for breakthrough infections to occur? Because there are many other airborne viruses and bacteria that can make people sick? Because there are other airborne particles that can cause problems (pollen being a big one)?

I know this is a sensitive topic and we all have our varying opinions on the matter, but please clarify something for me. If I am completely vaxxed meaning that I have full protection from the virus then why would I still have to wear a mask to protect me from the same thing the vaccine was suppose to keep my immune system strong against? For months it was deemed safe for us to eat in restaurants, party in clubs and so on without a mask but it was still a danger to board a bus without a mask. That’s why earlier this year when they got rid of the mandates in most places they should have did so on public transit as well. But what’s done is done. At this point whoever wants to wear their mask can still wear it while those who don’t can do as they please. In the long run I do hope for the safety of all in whatever choice they make. 

[Lex]

4 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I know this is a sensitive topic and we all have our varying opinions on the matter, but please clarify something for me. If I am completely vaxxed meaning that I have full protection from the virus then why would I still have to wear a mask to protect me from the same thing the vaccine was suppose to keep my immune system strong against? For months it was deemed safe for us to eat in restaurants, party in clubs and so on without a mask but it was still a danger to board a bus without a mask. That’s why earlier this year when they got rid of the mandates in most places they should have did so on public transit as well. But what’s done is done. At this point whoever wants to wear their mask can still wear it while those who don’t can do as they please. In the long run I do hope for the safety of all in whatever choice they make. 

You're not very good at reading, are you?

[R32 3838]

We wouldn't have had the mask mandate last this long if people knew how to cover their mouths. People would cough without covering just for the hell of it and when you tell them off, they look at you like you crazy.

 

4 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I know this is a sensitive topic and we all have our varying opinions on the matter, but please clarify something for me. If I am completely vaxxed meaning that I have full protection from the virus then why would I still have to wear a mask to protect me from the same thing the vaccine was suppose to keep my immune system strong against? For months it was deemed safe for us to eat in restaurants, party in clubs and so on without a mask but it was still a danger to board a bus without a mask. That’s why earlier this year when they got rid of the mandates in most places they should have did so on public transit as well. But what’s done is done. At this point whoever wants to wear their mask can still wear it while those who don’t can do as they please. In the long run I do hope for the safety of all in whatever choice they make. 

 

It lasted longer on public transit because imagine being in a crowded subway car full of selfish a**holes and one of them coughs without covering their mouth.

[NewFlyer 230]

5 hours ago, R32 3838 said:

We wouldn't have had the mask mandate last this long if people knew how to cover their mouths. People would cough without covering just for the hell of it and when you tell them off, they look at you like you crazy.

 

 

It lasted longer on public transit because imagine being in a crowded subway car full of selfish a**holes and one of them coughs without covering their mouth.

But what made it safer to be in a crowded restaurant back in May, but not the subway? We talk about the fools who didn’t cover their mouth and the bacteria in the air but these are the same people that are in the malls, the office, the movie theaters and etc and those same germs are flying around space those spaces too. There is this perceived notion that the reason the mask couldn’t be dropped on public transit was because people were covering their mouths but trust me I’ve been to several venues/restaurants back in the Fall/Winter time where vaccines were required but they weren’t necessarily checking for your covid card because they needed the business. Of course if you got caught you were fined but I’m only speaking on things that I personally know and seen. I remember going to Green Arces during the holiday season in 2021 it was packed and many people weren’t wearing mask but I suppose it’s more of a threat to be maskless on the Q5 that stops right outside that mall. Some things never made complete sense to me but let’s move on because we can argue this all day. I don’t want to create any tension over an opinion. 

 

6 hours ago, Lex said:

You're not very good at reading, are you?

I read your comment and I gave my answer to it. My answer apparently wasn’t valid though, but hey brother we can agree to disagree. At the end of the day what’s done is done and at this point I hope we don’t regress back to those times.