Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday masks will be required in all indoor public places and venues unless those businesses mandate a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. “We are entering a time of uncertainty,” Hochul, a Democrat, said Friday morning during a news conference in New York City. “We can either plateau here or our cases can escalate beyond control. We are heading in an upward direction that I find is no longer sustainable.” Hochul’s measure is effective starting Dec. 13, 2021, until Jan. 15, 2022, and the state will re-evaluate the order based on the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. “I have warned for weeks that additional steps could be necessary, and now we are at that point based upon three metrics: Increasing cases, reduced hospital capacity, and insufficient vaccination rates in certain areas,” the governor said in a statement. Noncompliant businesses could be subject to criminal and civil penalties with …
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