The Tompkins County Health Department released a statement saying the county’s local mask advisory is still in effect, citing high rates of community transmission.
The news comes after New York announced an end to its statewide indoor mask-or-vaccine mandate on Wednesday, February 9.
“We still have significant spread of COVID-19 in our community, due to the more contagious Omicron variant. We are also continuing to see double digit hospitalizations and sadly, some immunocompromised and older adults passing away due to the disease,” said Tompkins County Health Director Frank Kruppa in an official release from the county. “This disease is still impacting people in our community every day and continuing to wear a mask is one of the best things we can do to keep one another healthy and safe.”
He adds that while the state’s lifting of the mandate will mean it is no longer enforced, but the local advisory makes it so masking is still heavily encouraged.
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