New York ends mask requirement for subways, buses and other mass transit

New Yorkers are no longer required to wear masks on subways, buses and other mass transit, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.

Hochul said the decision to end the mandate takes effect immediately. The governor said New York is in a much stronger place as infections and hospitalizations decline. New boosters that the target the dominant omicron subvariant BA.5. should also offer better protection against Covid, she said.

“We do believe that we’re in a good place right now, especially if New Yorkers take advantage of this booster. That is how we get back to not just a new normal, but a normal normal, and that is what we’re striving for,” Hochul said during a news conference.

New York instituted mask mandates on public transit more than two years ago when the city was the epicenter of Covid in the U.S. Many New Yorkers started ignoring the mandate in the spring after near universal compliance early in the pandemic.

Masks are still required in nursing homes and hospitals, Hochul said.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said the omicron boosters should provide better protection against infection since the shots now match the dominant variant, though there’s no data on the effectiveness of the shots yet.

“If it’s been more than two months since you got your last shot, you’re 12 or over, you should get boosted and this time it can be with a booster that we think will provide people with a lot more protection,” Bassett said.