New York's requirement on mask wearing or proof of vaccination for businesses and indoor spaces will continue to Feb. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday. 

The mandate, which is facing a legal challenge, was set to expire Tuesday after it was previously extended earlier in January. 

"We're just not there yet," Hochul said during an event on Long Island of suspending masking indoors. "We're going to continue to keep people safe."

Hochul indicated the mask rule will be considered every two weeks for an extension. 

The requirement has been in place since December amid the sharp rise in COVID cases due to the spread of omicron variant.  

A legal challenge to the mask mandate has claimed state officials lacked the authority to put the requirement in place through the state Department of Health. State Attorney General Letitia James' office, however, has contended the mandate is necessary to protect public health during the pandemic and falls under the Department of Health's purview. 

An Appellate Court judge this week temporarily restore indoor masking rules after a state Supreme Court ruling that overturned the mandate. An appeals process is underway, and Hochul on Friday said she was confident the mandate would be upheld. 

Top lawmakers in the state Assembly and Senate this week did not rule out giving Hochul the legislative authority to impose a mask mandate, but are waiting for the legal process to play out first. 

New York has seen a downturn in the number of new COVID cases and people hospitalized who have the virus in recent weeks. There are now 8,100 patients in hospitals with COVID-19, a decline from more than 12,000 earlier in January.