School Indoor Mask Mandate Won't Be Lifted This Year, Cuomo Says

LONG ISLAND, NY — After a weekend of confusion that left some parents livid, a decision on masks at New York schools was made Monday: districts can allow students to remove masks while outside, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The indoor mandate will remain in place until the end of the school year.

The announcement came after a weekend of confusion as, after news Friday that the mask mandate would be lifted Monday, the New York State Department of Education said until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weighed in, masks would still be required.

Cuomo said Monday he'd never said anything Friday about a decision regarding masks being lifted, despite Zucker's letter. He told reporters at a press briefing that he had said that a decision would be rendered Monday.

"There was no confusion," Cuomo said. "We asked the CDC for guidance and said we would tell the schools on Monday."

On Monday, Cuomo said the state had spoken with the CDC, which has policy guidance for schools nationwide. The CDC agreed to drop the outdoor mask mandate in New York for students, he said, but felt more comfortable with leaving kids masked indoors until the end of the school year in two weeks. The policy will then be revisited before the new school year in September, he said.

Ultimately, though, the decision about masks outdoors remains up to the individual school districts, Cuomo said — aligning the school and camp guidance statewide. Schools and camps may choose to implement stricter standards, he said.

Some school districts moved quickly over the weekend to announce that masks would become optional come Monday and then were left scrambling Sunday.

At least three Long Island districts-Sachem, Patchogue-Medford and Massapequa-ignored the new guidance from the state's education department Sunday and made masks optional Monday. It's unclear if those districts will face any repercussions.

Meanwhile, Cuomo said schools should vaccinate students 12 to 17, who comprise the group with the lowest vaccination rate, while school is still in session and they are a "captive audience."

Vaccinations need to continue so New York can reach a vaccination rate of 70 percent and all coronavirus restrictions can be dropped, he said.