MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York state judge has ruled that the state’s mask mandate can’t be enforced. The mandate was reinstituted by the governor over concerns about a winter surge of coronavirus cases. The state health department has said the mandate would be in place until Feb 1. State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker said in his decision Monday that the state Department of Health didn’t have the legal authority to implement the mandate. In a statement, Hochul says her administration disagrees with the ruling and is “pursuing every option to reverse this immediately.”
Photo: FILE – A teacher wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of coronavirus checks the temperature of her student at Maestro Padilla school as the new school year begins, in Madrid, Sept. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
