During a live press conference today, NYS Governor Hochul announced the lifting of the statewide mask mandate for private businesses beginning Thursday February 10th. Business owners are empowered to set their own policies regarding mask and vaccine requirements. The statewide mandate will remain in place for schools, public transportation, nursing homes, adult care facilities, correctional facilities, detention centers, homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters, public transit and transportation hubs, as well as trains, planes, and airports in accordance with federal regulation for at least the next 30 days.