ALBANY, NY — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said today she will require everyone to wear masks in schools throughout the state.
Hochul, on her first day in the job, said she will direct the state Department of Health to require universal masking in schools for anyone inside the buildings.
“None of us want a rerun of last year’s horrors with Covid-19,’’ she said.
Hochul said she’s taking steps to prevent that from happening again.
Hochul also reiterated that school staff should be required to be vaccinated or undergo Covid-19 testing each week, at least for now. Partnerships with local governments are in the works to make this happen, she said.
She also said the state is launching a “Back to School Covid-19 Testing Program’’ to make testing for students and staff widely available, and convenient.