The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, announced this Wednesday (9) the end of the mandatory use of masks in closed places and the suspension of the vaccination pass against Covid-19 to enter public places. The decision follows recent decrees by US states led by Democrats, which are trying to assuage popular pressure.
In practice, the obligations in New York will not be renewed, as they would be valid until Thursday (10). “It’s a magnificent panorama. The pandemic is not over, but [o fim] is very well underway, so now we are considering a new phase”, said the governor. Hochul also informed that from now on the cities or companies will determine if the use of the accessory will be necessary in closed places.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the pandemic has been stabilizing in the state, with the number of new cases decreasing since January 6, when the moving average was 85,000 infections recorded per day – on Tuesday (8), they were recorded. 5,232. By comparison, in early April 2020, when the state’s hospitals were at their worst, the moving average was around 10,000 cases.
The number of deaths, however, follows another rhythm. On Tuesday, 109 people died of Covid-19 in New York, while in April 2020 there were more than a thousand. The difference goes through vaccination: currently, 74% of the population of the state is vaccinated, the highest rate in the country.
Despite the announcement, it is still not clear whether the end of the obligation will also apply to schools. When asked about the matter days earlier, Hochul replied that the government would need to look at the numbers before making a decision. The topic has provoked conflict between parents, teachers and students.
Today, the item is mandatory in 16 states, ruled mostly by Democrats — some schools near Washington have even threatened to exclude students without masks or isolate them in classrooms. But the measure is criticized by Republicans and rightists as an obstacle to individual freedoms.
According to The New York Times, the NY ordinance that imposes these restrictions on educational institutions is due to expire in two weeks. The governor’s decision should also not apply to places managed by the White House or city halls, such as trains, planes, buses and health institutions.
This week, other states announced the end of mask mandatory indoors, as the feeling that the worst is over mounts. According to a survey conducted by Monmouth University, seven out of ten Americans agreed that “it’s time for us to accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives”.
Last week, Democratic governors said they expected guidance from the White House to standardize the easing. The recommendations, however, did not arrive, and the heads of state executives decided to anticipate.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday that starting February 15, vaccinated people will no longer need masks indoors. “Cases in California have dropped by 65% since the peak of the wave of the omicron variant. Hospitalizations have stabilized in the state,” he wrote on a social network. He highlighted that unvaccinated people will have to wear masks indoors. “Get vaccinated. Take your booster shot.”
New Jersey Chief Executive Phil Murphy had already announced that effective March 7, it would no longer be mandatory to wear face masks in schools for students and staff. “It’s not a declaration of victory, but the recognition that with responsibility, we can live with it,” he said.
In some ways, the Democrat was under pressure to ease restrictions, with much of the population unhappy with the public health measures. In November of last year, Murphy was re-elected with a tight result, contradicting initial expectations of a quiet victory.
Since then, the Democrat had been promising flexibilities, but the arrival of the omicron derailed the plans. In January, hospitalizations for Covid in the US hit a record and the country recorded a number 20.8% higher than in the previous outbreak, a year earlier. Now, however, the path is clearer, as recent numbers point out.
Similar decisions were still made in Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon, all ruled by Democrats. In republican states, however, the situation is different. In Florida or Texas, for example, this mandate has not taken effect (locals have lower vaccination rates than NY, with 65% and 59% of the population immunized with two doses).
In Virginia, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order in late January allowing parents to send their children to school without a mask, but the text was suspended in court at the request of seven school districts. The state also banned its universities from barring unvaccinated students.
Recent easing, on the other hand, worries health experts. Leana Wen, a professor of public health at George Washington University, told the New York Times that “it’s a serious issue when most of the country is actively defying the CDC,” referring to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. from United States.
