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Gov’s new mask rule
confuses businesses

Governor Kathy Hochul’s statewide mask mandate took effect December 13 but left Otsego County businesses and residents a little short on detail.

That same afternoon at Stewart’s on Chestnut Street in Cooperstown, where the store enforced the order from the State Health Department, Steve Schroeder of Unadilla was headed inside, masked.

“If it protects other people, it’s great,” he said of the mandate, noting the importance to everyone’s safety. He said he was unsure if the rule would actually help slow the spread of Covid-19.

“If it can save people, that’s the main thing,” he said. “I believe in science. I’m a boomer and I remember when we had polio shots. Nobody questioned that.”

At Sal’s Pizzeria on Main Street in Cooperstown, employee John Rundblad was less enthusiastic. He is fully vaccinated and said the mask makes his job uncomfortable.

“It’s a pain,” he said. “When you work in the kitchen all day next to the oven, it’s hot and the flour sticks to the mask. If you’re vaccinated, you shouldn’t have to wear a mask.”

Bar owners are in a predicament, too, unsure as to how to proceed.

Jim Seymour, owner of the Black Oak Tavern on Water Street in Oneonta, called the mandate “confusing.”

“I’ve been speaking to other bar owners to determine exactly what it means and how best to approach it,” he said. “We’re trying to find a balance between being safe and keeping our doors open.”

He said he had no direct word from the state on how to comply with the temporary order.

“It’s just been conjecture,” he said. “We want to do the right thing, so another owner reached out to us for guidance. I’m waiting to hear what that brings.”

Governor Hochul’s order, currently scheduled to remain in effect until January 15, 2022, requires people to wear masks in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement for entry. The state’s Department of Health reports a statewide seven-day average case rate increase of 43 percent since Thanksgiving, with hospitalizations increasing by 29 percent. The Department says it will re-evaluate data on January 15 to determine whether the mandate remains in place.

The requirement applies to all non-private residences, including office spaces. Department of Health guidance says that bar and restaurant patrons “can remove their masks only while they are actively eating or drinking.”

The governor’s order leaves enforcement to businesses and local governments; at press time, several counties throughout the state announced early this week that they will not dedicate personnel or resources to carrying out the enforcement burden. Among them are population-heavy centers like Nassau, Dutchess, and Rockland counties.

At a December 14 briefing, Governor Hochul defended the order.

“I’m not doing this to win any popularity contests,” she said. “My objective with this mask or vax mandate has been to keep businesses open.”

Repeated telephone calls to the Otsego County Depart-ment of Health went unanswered December 13 and 14 as The Freeman’s Journal /Hometown Oneonta worked to learn any County enforcement strategy in place.

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