Hochul Announces No Fall Mask Mandate For Students [POLL]

NEW YORK — Before you know it, fall will be upon us, and as the past couple of years have shown, the number of coronavirus infections tend to increase as the seasons change from summer to autumn to winter.

To prepare for the continuing pandemic, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced new COVID-19 preparedness initiatives to protect public from seasonal coronavirus surges later this year.

The "Fall Action Plan" will focus on getting more New Yorkers vaccinated and boosted, encourage people to test early and often and promote more access to treatment and therapeutics.

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Hochul's plan also includes readying a 60-day stockpile of personal protective equipment, including 20 million tests which are ready to deploy where needed, and strengthening the hospital systems to handle increasing demand.

One major part of the action plan is "A Return to School Strategy," which includes distributing 3 million COVID-19 tests to schools before the academic year starts.

Hochul said her team has been working around the clock bolstering the state's preparedness against future pandemic surges both in the short-term and long-term.

"We've made real progress in our fight against COVID-19," she said, "and we remain vigilant in making sure that New York State emerges stronger than ever before."

What is not being considered — as of right now — are masks for school children.

Hochul said, based on current numbers, the state isn't anticipating the need for masks in classrooms.

"But I'm going to reserve the right to return to this policy," she said, "if the numbers change, the circumstances change, and the severity of the illnesses changes.

"My No. 1 job is to protect the health of New Yorkers," Hochul said, "especially our vulnerable children."

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.