Council Approves Law

Requiring Masks Downtown

ONEONTA – Unanimously, Oneonta Common Council approved an ordinance requiring masks be worn at all times downtown and in any public space when social distancing cannot be maintained, such as crowded neighborhood streets or parks.

Last month, Mayor Gary Herzig vetoed the city’s original proposed law, which codified the state’s public health law and required masks be worn in private homes when there was no social distancing.

The new law would also require that masks be worn in all “retail, service businesses and organizations”

There will be a public hearing on the law at their next meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17.