Governor Kathy Hochul has extended New York's COVID face mask mandate until February 10, as the Appellate Court has begun hearing arguments on the legality of the emergency order - which applies to all indoor public places, businesses and schools - was set to expire on February 1.

Governor Hochul issued the following statement on the ruling:

"I commend the Appellate Division, Second Department for granting a full stay to keep our masking regulations in place for the duration of our appeal. My primary responsibility as Governor is to keep New Yorkers safe. Mask regulations keep our schools and businesses safe and open, protect vulnerable New Yorkers, and are critical tools as we work to get through this winter surge. Thanks to our efforts, including mask regulations, cases are declining and we are seeing major progress in the fight against COVID-19. I thank the Attorney General and her team for their defense of these common sense measures, and I am confident we will continue to prevail. We are committed to doing everything in our power to keep New Yorkers safe."