On Thursday, Feb. 9, Gov. Kathy Hochul ended New York state’s indoor mask mandate, meaning local businesses are no longer required to have customers wear masks. This decision marks a promising shift in the fight against COVID-19, implementing hopes that the worst of the Omicron variant is now behind us.
The mask guidelines for public transit, health care facilities and schools, however, will not change. SUNY Brockport released the following statement:
“SUNY Brockport continues to follow guidance from SUNY administration and our local health department. While we await further information and clarification, our indoor masking policy will remain in effect at this time. We are hopeful that this policy can be lifted, at least in some fashion, in the not-too-distant future,” President Heidi Macpherson said.
State health officials will revisit the situation in early March.
Students have mixed opinions regarding the recent update. Bella DeFeo, a sophomore at SUNY Brockport, doesn’t mind wearing a mask around campus.
“I don’t really care that the update didn’t affect school guidelines. I’m so used to having to wear one (a mask), and I feel like on a college campus you can get sick so fast, so I don’t mind waiting out a little longer,” DeFeo said.
Another sophomore at SUNY Brockport, Sam Tuttle, feels differently about the situation.
“I just think that we should keep them all or get rid of them all. It’s so specific. I just wish it was consistent across the board,” Tuttle said.
Although it’s no longer a state requirement counties, cities and businesses still have the right to enforce their own mask mandate. Local entrepreneur Coleen Dwyer of Coleen’s Kitchen in Brockport, views this shift differently than the last time the mask mandate changed.
“This time around I am letting people go maskless and I’m not requiring vaccination, but I did not do that last time. The first time I did require people to wear masks because I thought it was premature to lift the mandate,” Dwyer said.
SUNY is still requiring eligible students to receive the COVID-19 booster shot. A booster clinic will be offered on Feb. 17 in the Seymour College Union Gallery; students must register ahead of time and can do so here.
“Having a high percentage of our community boosted will significantly increase the likelihood of being able to lift our campus mask requirement. Please receive your booster as soon as possible,” Macpherson said.