Gov. Kathy Hochul all but admitted Tuesday that the Big Apple doesn’t need her controversial mask mandate due to its success in batting the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a news briefing in Manhattan, Hochul was asked about state data showing that the New York City region has the lowest rate of disease transmission in the state and whether she’d consider a more “targeted” approach to forced mask-wearing.
“Well, this is not — there’s very little difference between what we’re doing and what New York City has already done,” she said.
“So, if New York City had been — had not had taken their own steps, then we would have absolutely had that surgical approach.”
Hochul added: “And I would have looked at the numbers and seen [hospital] bed capacity, which is pretty good here in New York City; watching that closely. Infections were not high.”
The governor then made an apparent reference to the surprise, Dec. 27 deadline that Mayor de Blasio announced last week for private-sector workers to get vaccinated.
“So, yes, but it didn’t make a difference because they already had a more restrictive requirement in place,” Hochul said.
“So at that point, it just made sense.”
Hochul added: “I want to make sure that I offered flexibility. Flexibility. The result is still good. I want everybody vaccinated, but for those who choose not, I wish they would.”
“We’re just simply saying, a mask. But when it comes to other policies, I do plan to make it more surgical based on what’s going on there,” she said.
Masks are now required in city schools, on mass transit and in health care facilities under orders from de Blasio, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health, respectively.
But de Blasio has not mandated masks elsewhere in the city and last month only advised New Yorkers “to get those masks back on” in indoor, public places amid the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
In response to a question from The Post, Hochul acknowledged the opposition to her mask mandate order from local governments across the state, saying that “73 percent or so of the New York state population is governed by county leaders who say they support what we’re doing here.”
She also said there’s no legal requirement for the state to fund enforcement of her mandate, which carries fines of $1,000 per violation.
“Counties have always had to enforce public health requirements. That’s what they do,” she said.
“I encourage the counties to do this, but it’s also — this is also up to individuals. Individuals are asked to follow regulations and in general, follow laws. And that is what we’re continuing to do here.”
A de Blasio spokesperson said in an email: “Both the Mayor and the Governor are implementing policies aimed at keeping New Yorkers safe, and they have been coordinating every step of the way. 90% of New York City adults have at least one dose, and every vaccine mandate makes our city safer and brings us closer to a full recovery.”