On Tuesday morning, school districts across New York state struggled over whether an indoor mask mandate was in effect.

The conflicting information created a problem for local school officials who have already been operating the strain of a pandemic and heated debates over how to mitigate the spread of COVD-19, New York School Boards Association general counsel Jay Worona said. 

"The problem, of course, with that is it leads to ambiguity and it leads to confusion and it certainly doesn't protect human life either," Worona said.  

An indoor mask mandate will remain in effect for now, but the legal challenge is opening up a debate over the continued response to the pandemic. After nearly two years, officials have acknowledged the public is weary with mask rules, put in place to stem the tide of a contagious new variant.

But the polarized debate over masking and other pandemic mitigation efforts is unlikely to cease in the state.  

A state appellate judge kept the mask mandate in effect for now after a lower court ruled it unconstitutional. But the last 24 hours in New York over indoor masking has led to a broader discussion over the pandemic's response, and whether there should be more local control. 

"When the governor in Albany makes a decision, there's no way for someone to appeal that," said Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt. "There's no way for someone to make their voice heard, whether they agree or not."

Republicans like Ortt have called for less authority from the governor and the state bureaucracy when it comes to handlinng the pandemic, including mandates for masking and vaccinations. Constituents, Ortt said, have that expectation for their elected officials. 

"So, I'm their state senator and I had no even say in this policy which effects their business, their child," Ortt said.  

Some officials like New York City Mayor Eric Adams told NY1's Mornings On One he will plan to keep an indoor mask rule in effect regardless of a state court's decision. 

"None of these mandates are created to give people madness," Adams said. "They're created to give people safety. So a lot of this is going to be up to everyday New Yorkers."

For restaurant owners like Jason Pierce in Albany, the legal drama was yet another mark of uncertainty. 

"What we don't want is to say we're going to let people in without a mask or vaccine requirement only to change it 24 hours later," said Pierce, who owns Savoy Taproom on Lark Street in Albany and is the president of the Albany Restaurant Association.  

Still, Pierce said he's sensed a shift with his customers in recent weeks even as the omicron variant has led to a spike in cases and hospitalizations. 

"I believe if this is not to stay in force, that the vast majority of customers to be honest will tear off their mask and go straight out to restaurants and just be happy to have some normalcy in their life," he said.