New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul plans to require masks in schools when she takes over as governor on Tuesday.
Outgoing governor Andrew Cuomo had relied on his emergency powers to require masks. But Hochul said the state health department has the authority to issue the mask mandate.
“I've done the due diligence to determine the authority that is vested in the Department of Health, and I expect to be making an announcement on that very shortly on Tuesday. But people should be ready,” Hochul said.
Hochul said she will provide more details on enforcement of the mask mandate on Tuesday.