Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday that the state will not compel counties to enforce a new mask or vaccine mandate for indoor public places, but she believes most regions will cooperate.
“We have left this to the counties to enforce,” she said 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.”
She added that “it comes down to individual businesses doing the right thing as well.”
She said she had spoken to leaders of the statewide counties association, and believes she has support among most of the 62 counties in New York.
“They did not give me push back,” she said. “They understood.”
Officials on Long Island have given mixed signals, while some upstate counties have already declared they will not enforce the order.
Hochul announced on Friday that, starting Monday, 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.
The mandate, imposed amid sharply rising COVID-19 indicators, is to be enforced by local health departments. Violators could face civil and criminal penalties along with fines of up to $1,000 for each violation.
On Long Island, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran’s administration has said it will enforce the mandate, but her successor, Bruce Blakeman, is asking Hochul to exclude some regions from it.
“Over 97% of Nassau County adults have been vaccinated with at least their first dose and our outstanding health care facilities are not even close to capacity,” Blakeman, who takes office Jan. 1, said in a statement on his Facebook page last week.
“While we continue to monitor this health care concern it is clear that Nassau County is not in crisis and State government should not paint us with the same broad brush as the rest of the State. I’m hopeful that the State will allow local determination rather than a shotgun approach.”
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has not given a clear indication on whether or not Suffolk will enforce the mandate.
County spokesman Derek Poppe on Friday did not respond to repeated questions as to whether the county would enforce the requirement, but said: “We will review the state’s new guidance once we receive it.”
It remained unclear Monday how effective the mandate will be if some counties opt out and are not compelled to enforce it.
On the streets of Long Island Monday, there were initial mixed signals regarding compliance with the mandate.
The Stuff a Bagel shop in Farmingdale posted a sign that said masks are required, whether customers are vaccinated or not.
But a worker at a Rite Aid pharmacy in Suffolk County said the chain was not — as of Monday morning — enforcing the mandate, and was instead leaving it up to customers to decide.
At a Starbucks in Patchogue, a sign was posted stating that people must wear a mask, but inside many lined up without one.
Hochul argued Monday that she was imposing the mandate to avoid more stringent requirements such as outright shutdowns.
“This is a very short-term, minor effort in comparison to what the people of this state had to go through for many months when there were complete lockdowns and people could not go out anywhere,” she said. “And I will never let that happen in this state.”
She added: “I’m not attempting to be heavy handed … I’m taking decisive action to get us through this as soon as possible.”
A Long Island labor leader said Monday his group supports the mandate as a way to keep front-line workers and the public safe, but does not want workers to bear the burden of enforcing it.
“Local 338 fully supports Governor Hochul’s directive, but I want to make it clear: it is not our essential workers’ responsibility to enforce this mandate,” said John R. Durso, President of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW and the Long Island Federation of Labor.
“Employers must make it clear to members of the public that masks are required to shop in their stores, and if customers cannot comply with the law, then they must leave the vicinity,” he said.
Hochul imposed the mandate as the number of COVID-19 cases, infection levels and hospitalizations rise sharply throughout much of the state.
Long Island had a seven-day positivity level of more than 6% as of test results reported on Sunday, while some areas upstate were around 10%. New York City had the lowest level in the state, about 2.7%. The city has a proof of vaccination requirement for entry into indoor public places such as restaurants and theaters.
The positivity level is the number of people who test positive — or are confirmed — as having the virus out of the total number tested.
Long Island’s level was as low as 2.08% on Oct. 28. It was below 1% in June.
Nassau and Suffolk counties are now producing more than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 on some days. As recently as June, the daily number was in double digits.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
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