Monroe County will be ending the requirement that guests and employees wear masks inside county facilities.
That announcement came Wednesday, from County Executive Adam Bello, after Governor Kathy Hochul lifted the state mandate for wearing masks for indoor locations including businesses effective Thursday.
Hochul left it up to individual businesses and local governments to decide whether they still want to require masks.
Bello released a statement saying that it’s “great news” that COVID hospitalization and case rates are almost down to levels seen before the omicron spike.
But he also noted that the coronavirus is still circulating in the community, and urged residents to take steps that keep people safer, including getting vaccinated and boosted, staying at home if you’re sick, and wearing a mask in public if it makes sense to protect yourself and others.
Similar sentiments expressed by Rochester Mayor Malik Evans. City Hall and most other city operated public facilities will lift their mask requirements on Thursday.
But since the requirement for masking in schools is still in effect, City R-Centers and Libraries will continue requiring masks in those facilities.
The school mask mandate will be in place at least into early next month.
