People across the Hudson Valley are putting their masks back on after a state appellate judge granted a temporary stay for the state's indoor mask mandate.

The appellate judge in Brooklyn heard from both sides during a 30-minute virtual hearing on Tuesday and the ruling means masks are once again required in all public indoor settings and that includes schools, at least for now.

The mandate had been lifted on Monday when a state supreme court judge ruled the mask mandate issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state health department last month was unconstitutional, saying neither had the power to enact the rule.

The state quickly appealed the decision and that lead to Tuesday's court hearing.

But Monday's ruling caused mass confusion among school districts all over the state Tuesday, including those here in the Hudson Valley with school administrators trying to figure out if students legally needed to wear masks.

Some districts kept the mandate in place while others made masks optional. Some Hudson Valley students got a quick taste of normalcy yesterday by going to class without the mask, but it was back to covering up Wednesday.

New York's COVID-19 numbers have been dropping and the governor applauded the court ruling.

"The last thing I want to see is a different trend because people gave up on the masks too early," Hochul said.

A four-judge appellate panel will review the case and there's a hearing scheduled for Friday.

The New York mask mandate is actually set to expire next week on Feb. 1. The governor hadn't said if she's planning to extend it.