On Dec. 10, NY Governor Kathy Hochul announced masks will be required to be worn in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. A vaccine requirement would mean that local business place employees at their entrances and ask for proof of vaccination, or a mask be worn, before entry.
At Deciccos supermarket in Jefferson Valley in Northern Westchester an employee was standing at the entrance with a box of disposable masks, and customers were required to wear a mask or use one given to them.
Hochul’s order is effective from Dec. 13 to Jan 15, 2022, after which the State will re-evaluate based on current conditions. “As Governor, my two top priorities are to protect the health of New Yorkers and to protect the health of our economy. The temporary measures I am taking today will help accomplish this through the holiday season. We shouldn’t have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers’ frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet,” Governor Hochul said. “I want to thank the more than 80 percent of adult New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary.”
Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 43% and hospitalizations have increased by 29%. While the percentage of New Yorkers fully vaccinated continues to increase—gaining 2% from Thanksgiving weekend to now—the uptick is not fast enough to completely curb the spread of the virus, particularly among communities with low vaccination coverage.
Local, County health departments are being asked to enforce these requirements, but several days after making the mask mandate, Gov. Hochul said that county governments will not be required to enforce the mask mandate. This resulted in neighboring counties taking different actions.
Westchester County will be enforcing the mask mandate, but “to the best of our ability and with great discretion and understanding. A mask mandate is a lot less than a shutdown or a vaccine mandate,” said County Executive George Latimer, who tested positive for COVID on Dec. 13 and is feeling ok and is under quarantine at home.
Latimer received his two vaccinations earlier this year and had planned on getting a booster shot this week before he tested positive. “Earlier today, Westchester County Executive George Latimer tested positive for COVID-19. The County Executive sought out a test after hearing that he was exposed at a community event. The County Executive is home in isolation, and is continuing to carry out the work of the Government from his residence. He is grateful his symptoms are mild thanks to his COVID-19 vaccinations,” said Catherine Cioffi, Westchester County Communications Director on Dec. 13.
The first Westchester case of the COVID variant Omicron was identified in a 13-year old county resident last week. After that announcement, County Executive Latimer declared a state of emergency in Westchester, which better prepares hospitals, medical facilities and county government with the ability to deal with more COVID patients and cases if they arise.
But in Putnam County, County Executive MaryEllen Odell said that Putnam County government, Health Department and Law Enforcement will not be enforcing the mask mandate. “Our Main Street businesses have followed all the rules, from recommendations and guidelines to shutdowns throughout this pandemic in order to keep the public and their customers safe and healthy,” County Executive Odell said. “Now, in the midst of the holiday season, business owners are facing numerous operating issues including supply chain and hiring difficulties. We cannot expect them to implement this unrealistic order.”
Here in Putnam County, the Health Department is working overtime to vaccinate our residents. Are we really supposed to stop them from running essential vaccine clinics and redirect them to checking whether the unvaccinated are entering buildings unmasked? The department is in the midst of arranging a private-public partnership to create a COVID testing site that will open at the Donald B. Smith campus in Carmel before Christmas and operate six days a week.
Yorktown Today Supervisor Matt Slater asked Gov. Kathy Hochul to reexamine the indoor mask mandate and asked the governor to allow municipalities the authority to decide what makes sense for them. “You have recently stated that counties can choose to enforce your indoor mask mandate. This is creating a disparity for municipalities like mine whose customers are going to neighboring counties that are choosing not to enforce it.”
Supervisor Slater has already received messages from local business owners who have been told by customers that they will shop in Putnam County, which sits on Yorktown’s northern border. Putnam County officials have declared that they will not enforce the mask mandate.
“It is disappointing to learn that some of our residents would choose to avoid our local stores and restaurants because of a mask mandate,” said Supervisor Slater. “I’m asking all our residents to support Yorktown and its local business owners, who do not deserve to be abandoned in the middle of the holiday shopping season.”
Regardless of where you live or shop, the message of getting vaccinated, getting a booster shot and staying safe should be the same.
