Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced Wednesday that the masking requirement for employees and guests inside county facilities is ending. 

This comes following Gov. Kathy Hochul's announcement that New York state's "mask-or-vax" mandate for most indoor public indoor settings will be lifted beginning Thursday. 

"It’s great news that COVID hospitalization and case rates are almost down to levels we saw before the Omicron spike," Bello said in a statement. "Thank you to all the residents of Monroe County for working together to fight the surge and help keep each other safe."

COVID hospitalization and case rates have been declining across the state over the past few weeks, with Hochul saying Wednesday that New York has seen a 93% drop in COVID-19 cases since the peak of the omicron surge in early January. 

Hochul said Wednesday that the decision to continue any kind of masking requirement will be left up to individual counties, cities and businesses.

As for schools, Hochul has not yet removed any mandates for face coverings, but did say the state will reassess that in the first week of March after students return from the winter break.

"I encourage parents to remain patient: we all want our kids to be safe, healthy and happy in school," Bello said.

In Monroe County, 120 new positive at-home COVID tests were confirmed Wednesday, along with 199 laboratory-confirmed cases. Across the Finger Lakes, 486 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, with 64 patients in the ICU.

Ontario County also announced that requirements for masking inside of county facilities, regardless of vaccination status, will end beginning on Thursday. This excludes correctional facilities, school and health care facilities, nursing home and medical settings, and public transportation systems.

“We are encouraged by the continued and significant decrease in cases and hospitalizations in Ontario County and across the Finger Lakes region.” Chairman of the Board Jack Marren said in a statement. “The expiration of the State’s mask mandate announced today by the Governor is a welcome sign that things are continuing to trend in the right direction, and we can begin taking steps to return to some semblance of normalcy.”

The county is still strongly encouraging masks for those who have an increased risk of contracting COVID-19.