Governor Kathy Hochul has extended the COVID-19 State of Emergency, until April 15, 2022. As a result of being under a State of Emergency, licensees are still prohibited from making any cold calls.
On March 17, 2022, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) removed the designation of COVID-19 as an airborne infectious disease under New York State’s Hero Act. This means that employers are no longer required to implement their workplace safety plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as required by the New York Hero Act. As such, daily employee health screenings and social distancing no longer need to be in effect at this time. However, the New York City vaccine workplace requirement remains in effect, and it applies to any licensee conducting showings or working in an office in New York City.
In addition, as of February 10, 2022, New York State no longer requires masks in the workplace including real estate brokerage offices. Although the state mandate is cancelled, local governments and individual businesses and homeowners may still require masks at their discretion.