Spokesman: Blakeman won’t enforce Hochul’s mask mandate when he takes office
Blakeman, who takes over as Nassau County executive on Jan. 1, joins several upstate county leaders who said last week they’re refusing to enforce the order. He will not send out health department inspectors to fine places that are not complying with the mandate, his spokesman said.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran’s office said her administration, now in its final weeks, would enforce the mandate. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone hasn’t said whether that county would.
The mandate, which took effect Monday and lasts through at least Jan. 15, and says all indoor public places — including restaurants, gyms and offices — must either require people entering to wear a mask or show proof of vaccination. The locations cannot “mix and match” the policies but must choose one or the other.
Hochul announced the mandate on Friday, imposed amid sharply rising COVID-19 indicators. It will be enforced by local health departments, and violators could face civil and criminal penalties along with fines of up to $1,000 for each violation.
“We have left this to the counties to enforce,” Hochul said Monday at a news conference. “We hope that counties will enforce it. We expect that they will. We hope that they will. It’s in the best interests of public health.”
Plus, a guide to booster shots: If you’ve been fully vaccinated and are eligible for a booster shot, we compiled some resources that may help you book one.
The number of new positives reported today: 788 in Nassau, 918 in Suffolk, 3,824 in New York City and 8,993 statewide.
This map shows the concentration of new cases reported across Long Island in recent days.
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Erin Serpico is an assistant web producer who joined Newsday in November 2018. Originally from New Jersey, she now covers community events and produces local content for newsday.com while also helping run the homepage.
