That mandate requires businesses to ask customers for proof of vaccination or for them to wear masks indoors, except when eating or drinking.
CNN has reached out to the offices of both Democratic governors for comments about their plans.
In New York on Tuesday, Hochul said she planned to make an announcement Wednesday regarding mask mandates for businesses, one day before it was set to expire across the state.
The vaccination or mask requirement for businesses was put in place “when we first saw the early signs of this Omicron could be wildly contagious,” she said.
“It certainly was, and so we put in some protections in place to help our workplaces and help employees and customers,” she said.
Pritzker has teased changes to indoor mask policy
Pritzker, the Illinois governor, has teased changes to his state’s indoor mask policy in the past few days.
At a Monday news conference, Pritzker addressed a circuit judge’s temporary restraining order that blocked schools from enforcing portions of his school-related Covid-19 itigation policies, saying he asked the state’s attorney general to work to get the restraining order overturned.
Hochul met with educators about Covid-19 protocols
In New York, Hochul earlier this week met with teachers, school superintendents and parents to thank them for keeping schools safe and open — and to discuss how to continue to “smartly” protect against Covid-19.
It is unclear at this point if school mask mandates will be addressed in Hochul’s announcement Wednesday. The statewide school mask mandate is set to expire February 21.
In a statement released after the meeting, New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Robert S. Schneider summed up the challenge of determining Covid-19 protocols in schools.
“Like everyone, our members are ready to get past this pandemic and return to life as normal, and they want to do so in a way that keeps all of our students, teachers, employees and their families safe. The governor, like school board members, must balance many different concerns and ultimately decide based on what’s best for our students.”
In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said he recommends ending the statewide mask mandate in schools and childcare centers effective February 28, leaving decisions on mask requirements in schools to officials at the local level.
In Delaware, Gov. John Carney said that public and private K-12 mask mandates will expire March 31, and in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said the state’s universal mask mandate for schools and child-care settings will lift March 7.
Lifting of school mask mandates goes against guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has not provided states a road map for how to transition from the emergency phase of Covid-19 into the “new normal,” so these states have taken steps on their own.
Asked about recent decisions by neighboring states — namely New Jersey — to set a timeline to end the school mask mandates, Hochul said “we are going to assess our situation here in New York.”
“What I understand Gov. Murphy was talking about is a situation one month from now,” she said. “So I’m going to continue to head in that direction … We’re hoping to get to that, I’ve said that for weeks, that is our goal, but I’m going to continue looking at the metrics.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized New York’s mask mandate. It requires businesses to ask customers for proof of vaccination or for them to wear masks indoors, not both.
CNN’s Kristinia Sgueglia, Chris Boyette and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.