BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul held a COVID-19 update Wednesday and said based on current COVID-19 numbers in the state it is not anticipated that masks will be required in schools this fall.
The governor continued on to say that she reserves the right to change that decision if the COVID-19 numbers/circumstances change.
"Everybody is going to ask 'are kids going to need masks in schools?' this was a big issue last year, right now we're saying they don't. We don't currently, based on today's numbers, anticipate the need for masks in classrooms but I'm going to reserve the right to return to this policy if the numbers change, the circumstances change and the severity of the illnesses change."
- Gov. Hochul
Hochul said kids need to be in school and it is the state's objective to ensure the safety of students and that they are in the classroom for in-person learning this fall.
The state is distributing over 3 million COVID-19 tests to school districts ahead of the start of the school year to ensure every student and staff member can test before the first day.
