September 7, 2022
“So, again, getting vaccine boosts is our best shot, but also, we have to restore some normalcy to our lives. And so, we’ll be talking about a new normal starting today. Department of Health will be issuing new guidance regarding masks based on the CDC guidance, and starting today, masks will be optional. You’ll be starting to see these signs. This is our subway sign. So, places like shelters, correctional facilities, detention centers, and yes, mass transit. You’ll see this little character. And I’m told that’s a ponytail off to the side. Do you all see the ponytail? Okay. I just want to make sure I’m not the only one. Masks are encouraged, but optional.
“This is what you’re going to see on our subways and our mass transit throughout the State of New York. This is buses Upstate. This is transportation everywhere. So, we’re very, very excited about that as well. So big progress, but also the message at the bottom is very important. Let’s respect each other’s choices.
“What that means is you choose not to have a mask that is your personal decision. You’ll do your own personal risk assessment of who you’re exposed to, your own vulnerabilities, where you work. You make your own determination, but do not judge your fellow passengers on what their choices are. Let’s be respectful.
“So, we want to make sure that we handle that in a mature way as New Yorkers can and should do. But also, reminder that mask requirements will remain in effect at adult care facilities, as well as other health care facilities regulated by the Department of Health while there’s still the variant at large. And so, I know this is a big change. The MTA will be rolling out this signage, but basically we’re going from mandatory to optional. So that is what we’re talking about. And so, I want to thank everyone who’s been complying on our transit systems for 28 months. A long time. I know for many, it became second nature, but it’s always been a visible reminder that something is not normal here. And it was there for the right reason. It protected health. And now we’re in a far different place than we had been, as we continue to watch the trends, this is not a one-day snapshot. This is watching the trends and we’re seeing a stabilization of those numbers. So I want to thank everyone, the New Yorkers who sacrificed, stepped up and they’ve done a great job, they really have.
“And I still expect that we’ll see many people on the trains and subways and walking down the streets, I walk the streets of Manhattan almost every day, and I see people still wearing them. That is their choice. We encourage them to do that. So these are encouraged, but optional. So, that’s how we’re going to make sure that we get to a new place. So I’m very optimistic, I’m very optimistic that we’ll be assuring each other’s respect for this. But as we talk about this, I want to make sure we are getting kids back to school. That was my other number one priority. We talked about this in July. We talked about our Fall Surge Plan on August 22nd as we gave updates to make sure that parents know we welcome the public school kids back to school in the city tomorrow, all over the state. Many are going back today. And also, we’ll continue everything we can to keep our children safe in schools. So I want to let everybody know we’re going to continue watching the numbers. We’re watching global trends. We’re watching for variants, we’re watching for any updates in vaccines, but we do believe that we’re in a good place right now, especially if New Yorkers take advantage of this booster. That is how we get back to not just a new normal, but a normal normal, and that is what we’re striving for. So, I’m excited that we’ve been able to achieve that.
“We also said we’d get kids back to school. We wanted to make sure there’s enough test kits. So, we kept our promise. We got out almost 3 million test kits out already, so when they go back to school, if they need to be tested, they’re stockpiled. We’ve sent them to private schools, charter schools, public schools, they are all over the state. We have plenty stockpiled. This was important to me as I have conversations with Kathryn Garcia, Head of our State Operations, to make sure that we are not ever in a vulnerable position again with respect to supplies. So we have amassed over 15 million test kits are in inventory right now to be able to handle any potential surge coming up because, if a surge comes, as we saw last winter, Omicron wasn’t even a variant, it wasn’t defined until the end of November and immediately, there was a run on test kits and we worked tirelessly to make sure we had enough so when kids went back to school in January, that there would be no barriers, that we had plenty of tests kits, and that’s what gave people the confidence to know they can go back. So, we will always be aggressive, make sure we leave no stone unturned, to make sure New York is positioned to protect our citizens. It’s my number one job. So, we’re always watching the data. Our Fall Action Plan is up and running. And again, the last thing I’m going to encourage you to do: Go get your shots. All the members of the media, you can get your shot before you leave here today. So, just sign up.”
And with that, the unofficial subway mask policy became official.
