GREAT NECK, N.Y. (WCBS 880) – Nassau County’s incoming county executive said he won’t enforce Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide indoor mask mandate that went into effect this week.
Bruce Blakeman said on Facebook that when he takes office on Jan. 1, he will not enforce the governor’s order, which requires masks in all indoor public places if proof of vaccination isn’t already required there.
“Nassau County is not in crisis, and should not be painted with the same broad brush as the rest of the state,” Blakeman wrote.
The Republican said 97% of adults in the county have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and that its “hospitals have adequate capacity to handle existing demand.”
Blakeman said his administration will use “a common sense approach that acknowledges the facts, science and progress made by our residents while also protecting businesses and jobs from any further damage created by government mandates.”
At a press briefing Tuesday, Blakeman insisted, "There is no reason to have a mask mandate and I have indicated that I would not enforce it."
Outgoing County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, said that for the time being county health officials will respond to complaints and that businesses in violation could get slapped with a $1,000 fine.
Roughly a dozen county executives, including those from Rockland, Dutchess and Putnam counties, said they plan to ignore Hochul’s “mask or vax” order.
The governor said she’s surprised by the backlash. She said some county executives pushed her to put the mandate in place and that the majority of counties are enforcing it.
The mandate took effect on Monday and will last until Jan. 15, when the state will reassess it post-holidays.
The order applies to a long list of indoor public places, including entertainment venues, concert halls, indoor sports stadiums, recreational spaces, restaurants, office buildings, shopping centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, houses of worship, and common areas in residential buildings.
At the Great Neck LIRR station on Tuesday morning, opinions about the mandate were mixed.
“I think it should be enforced, we’re still in a pandemic here,” one man said. “People are still getting the virus, so it’s a small ask.”
Another man disagreed, saying, “I’m over the whole thing. It’s shot after shot; booster after booster; wear this, don’t wear this. The death numbers are way down. Yeah, you’re going to get sick, it’s called life.”
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