New York City will no longer require masks on public transportation 

New York City Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that passengers will no longer be required to wear masks on subways, buses and other mass transit.

New York’s mask mandate, which required masks to be worn on public transportation, has been in place since April 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hochul took to Twitter to announce her decision.

“Starting today, masks will be optional in some places where they had previously been required, including on mass transit,” Hochul said. “Masking requirements will remain in effect at state-regulated health care facilities and clinical settings. We are following the data & will continue to adjust our policies as necessary. We are still in this together.”

Hochul encouraged anyone who is apprehensive about going on public transport to continue wearing a mask.

Hochul also confirmed that she had received her Covid booster shot: “I got the updated COVID-19 booster today! Getting vaccinated and boosted is the best defense against this virus and I encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get a booster too.”

Hochul touted the new boosters which she said will be effective against several variants including Omicron BA.4 and BA.5. Hochul went on to say that the boosters work to “bolster previous vaccination protection” according to an official press release.

The age requirement for the boosters is 12 and older for Pfizer vaccines and 18 and older for Moderna. To be eligible for this booster, New Yorkers must have already received the two original vaccine doses or a booster two months before.

“We are going to continue watching the numbers. We’re watching global trends, we’re watching for variants, we’re watching for any updates in vaccines. We do believe that we’re in a good place right now especially if New Yorkers take advantage of this booster,” Hochul said during the press conference.

Masks will remain mandatory for all state public health facilities, but are no longer required in homeless shelters, prisons, jails, and airports.