The governor of Connecticut said that he will not reinstate a mask mandate, citing data suggesting that it is not “curbing the spike” in COVID-19 cases elsewhere. Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, told reporters this week that COVID-19 cases have surged in New York City in recent days despite a statewide mask mandate that was issued by the governor several weeks ago. Mask mandates are “not curbing the spike down in New York City, which is probably ground zero,” Lamont told a reporter in response to a question about whether he would consider such a regulation. “If I think about things, I certainly think about nursing homes and other congregate settings where I think the booster shot is probably the number one priority, to make sure everybody that can be boosted is boosted there. That would be my next priority,” Lamont added. On Dec. 10, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul …