https://ift.tt/1G02nt9 York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a new mask requirement in the state for all public bars, restaurants and venues that do not require proof of vaccination to enter.
At a Friday news conference, Hochul said she made the decision based on the state’s weekly seven-day case rate as well as increasing hospitalizations. The new requirement will begin December 13 and run until January 15, when it will be reassessed.
Hochul applauded the 80% of New York residents who have been vaccinated, and those areas of the state where vaccination rates are high, hospital capacities are under control, and infection rates are low.
“But the rest of the state now has a wakeup call,” she said. “I’ve been warning, I’ve been saying: If we can’t get more people vaccinated or boosted, I have to protect people, but also the economy.”
Since the last week of November, the governor’s office reports, the statewide seven-day average COVID-19 case rate increased 43% and hospitalizations have increased by 29%.
They say that while the percentage of New Yorkers fully vaccinated has increased by 2% since that time, that growth is not fast enough to completely curb the spread of the virus, particularly among communities with low vaccination coverage.
The governor’s office says a violation of any provision of this measure is subject to all civil and criminal penalties, including a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation. Local health departments are being asked to enforce these requirements.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.