ALBANY (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday that the statewide masking requirement in schools will be lifted by March 2. In a briefing held in Albany, the Democrat cited declining COVID-19 cases and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She said ...

ALBANY — As COVID-19 transmission rates plunge, nearly three out of five New Yorker voters want the state to proceed cautiously before the controversial school mask mandate is lifted, the Siena College Poll reported Tuesday. The survey found that 30% of voters would end the mandate ...

SARANAC LAKE — Twelve cars drove from the Lake Colby boat launch to a strip mall parking lot on Lake Flower Avenue on Saturday, honking and waving flags to protest vaccine and mask mandates. The event, called the North Country Freedom Ride, was a locally-organized protest in the style of ...

ALBANY — New York will not enforce its mandate requiring health care workers to get COVID-19 boosters in light of concerns about staffing shortages, state health officials said Friday. Gov. Kathy Hochul pointed to a troubling rise in breakthrough infections when she announced the mandate ...

NEW YORK — An early look at the performance of COVID-19 booster shots during the recent omicron wave in the U.S. showed a decline in effectiveness against severe cases, though the shots still offered strong protection. The report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...

As the omicron wave of the coronavirus subsides, several U.S. states including Nevada, New York and Illinois ended mask mandates this week for indoor settings, while others lifted requirements at schools. The White House says talks are underway about how and when to move the country out of the ...