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CityAndStateNY.com
February 14, 2022
lifting of the mask mandate does not apply to public transportation and health care settings, and any requirements set forth by businesses or municipalities still must be followed.
“They’re locking up my toothpaste.” – Rev. Al Sharpton, referring to New York City pharmacies placing more items in locked cases due to theft, via MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Hochul dropped requirements that New Yorkers wear masks in places that don’t require proof of vaccination, following cues from multiple other Democratic governors.
MASK MANDATE LIFTED
With the number of COVID-19 cases dropping around the state as the omicron variant surge dies down, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the end of the statewide mask or vax mandate that required people to wear masks in
public spaces where there was not a vaccine mandate enforced. Hochul put the mandate in place late last year and continued to extend it when its expiration drew near. But with a more positive outlook on the trajectory of the pandemic, and recent action by New Jersey
and other Democratic states to ease restrictions, Hochul said that New York could drop the mandate. However, the requirement for teachers and students to wear masks at school remains in place, with the governor saying she would reconsider that decision in early March. The statewide
COLD SHOULDER Public housing residents in New York City have long suffered from negligence by management and life-threatening conditions in their apartments, but a new report revealed the New York City Housing Authority has been leaving residents at one Rockaway building out in the cold for four months. New York politicians criticized NYCHA leaders for a hot water outage that has lasted since November, arguing residents should be entitled to free rent.
“This situation cannot fit into a TikTok.” – former Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas, on his 537-page letter asking for a pardon and describing a conspiracy to remove him from office, via the New York Post
Local leaders from around the state made their budget demands before state lawmakers during the annual “tin cup day” as they testified at a joint legislative hearing. Up first, as always, was the New York City mayor, marking Eric Adams’ first time participating in his new role. He used the opportunity to once again demand changes to recent criminal justice reforms, most notably the bail law that eliminated pretrial detention for the vast majority of charged crimes. Adams requested state lawmakers get rid of cash bail completely, but allow judges the discretion to consider a defendant’s “dangerousness” to determine whether they should be jailed while awaiting trial. He also made the case to tweak “Raise the Age” in order to allow the state to try more teens as adults. Both legislative leaders in Albany have said they have no intention to revisit bail or make other criminal justice reform rollbacks.
DON POLLARD/OFFICE OF GOV. KATHY HOCHUL; ROB BENNETT/OFFICE OF MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO; LARS NIKI/GETTY IMAGES FOR BET; REBECCA C. LEWIS
MR. ADAMS (VIRTUALLY) GOES TO ALBANY
