New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a motion to stay the ruling from a judge that blocks an indoor mask requirement in the state on the day before it was set to take effect, The New York Times reports.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., renewed the state’s mask mandate at all indoor public places last December due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, saying at the time that it would last for one month. The New York Health Department later extended the requirement through the end of January.
However, State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Rademaker wrote in a decision Monday that the governor and the state’s health officials lacked the proper authority to instate the rule without first getting approval from New York legislators.
James announced on Twitter the day after the ruling: "We’re appealing last night’s decision that struck down the mask mandate in New York. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect New Yorkers from #COVID19."
Hochul said in a statement, according to the Times: "My responsibility as governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives."
She said her office will be "pursuing every option to reverse this [decision] immediately."
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