NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — While New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams has decided to postpone his inauguration due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman said his will continue as planned.
Blakeman is scheduled to hold his inauguration ceremony indoors on Jan. 3, 2022 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.
However, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams believes the event could spell disaster with Long Island having the highest COVID-19 positivity rate in the state.
“I just can’t understand why the county executive would do that,” he said.
“I've seen the long lines of people at CityMDs,” Abrahams added. “We would all want to celebrate the county executive-elect’s inauguration but [cannot] in this climate, where people can't get the tests to be able to show that they would be safe in that environment, and not spread the disease.”
Blakeman, in a statement, said his team will continue to assess the situation moving forward, and plans can be changed if necessary.
“We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and at the present time see no reason to change any plans made for the inauguration,” he said.
Abrahams said he will be following Mayor-elect Adams and will request a virtual, or very small in-person event with no friends or family, for his swearing-in ceremony scheduled three weeks after Blakeman’s inauguration.
Blakeman claimed victory over Democrat Laura Curran in November, and has already announced he will be opposed to some of the COVID-19 protocols being set by the state.
Last week, he announced that when he takes office on Jan. 1, he will not enforce Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide indoor mask mandate, which requires masks in all indoor public places if proof of vaccination isn’t already required.
“Nassau County is not in crisis, and should not be painted with the same broad brush as the rest of the state,” Blakeman said at the time.
Since then, Long Island has recorded its highest seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate since January. Hospitalizations have also climbed by at least 40% since the start of December.
Some of the hardest hit communities in the current wave include Massapequa Park, Seaford, Kings Point and Point Lookout, all located within Nassau County.
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