ALBANY, N.Y. (WENY) -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday that the state will extend its indoor mask mandate for businesses through Feb. 10. 

Hochul made the announcement during a Long Island press briefing on winter storm emergency preparations, according to WENY-TV's media partner The Star Gazette. 

The announcement comes after a state Supreme Court judge struck down the mandate on Monday. Soon after, the state attorney general's office filed a notice of appeal, causing an appeals court to issue a stay on Tuesday that kept the mandate in place.  

Hochul said the mandate extension will give the government enough flexibility to continue evaluating the severity of the pandemic. 

"If we continue on this rapid trend downward, we'll be in a good place,” she said. “If it levels off or something else happens, I need that flexibility and I'm going to continue to reserve that. But also people are waiting to hear when some of these restrictions can be lifted, and so we're going to continue with our flexibility." 

The mask mandate for schools is set to expire Feb. 21, but that date may also change if it is terminated prematurely by state officials or the appeals court decision.