The COVID surge in New York has returned, as has the mask mandate
New York: In response to a cold-weather surge in COVID-19 infections, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday (December 10, 2021) that masks will be required in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement.
Hochul stated that the decision to reinstate the mask mandate was based on an increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations, which has been particularly noticeable in parts of upstate New York.
At the start of the pandemic, in April 2020, New York enacted a mask mandate for vaccinated individuals, which expired in June 2021. The new mask mandate applies to both patrons and employees and will be in effect from Monday to January 15, after which the state will reevaluate the situation.
“We’re entering a period of uncertainty, and our cases could either plateau or spiral out of control,” Hochul warned during a public appearance in New York City.
New York joins Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, and Hawaii as states with similar indoor mask laws.
Mask mandates have become a contentious topic.
Hochul has been saying for weeks that local governments will decide whether to reimpose COVID-19 protocols. She has expressed skepticism about whether resistant communities would adhere to stricter rules.
Some Democrats and a union representing retail and grocery workers applauded Hochul’s announcement on Friday, while Republicans called it an overreach and an unnecessary burden on businesses.
While Hochul stated that the requirements will be enforced by local health departments, Republican Rockland County Executive Ed Day stated that the governor’s staff was unable to provide detailed information about the new requirement.
“I told the governor’s staff that we cannot and will not enforce this requirement as it is,” Day said in a prepared statement.
Local officials, according to Niagara County Legislature Chair Becky Wydysh, a Republican, do not believe a mandate is necessary “the most efficient use of our resources.” The county will employ a “educate to cooperate” strategy “Wydysh stated in a statement that he is committed to enforcing the law.
The Lake Placid Christmas Company, a shop on Main Street in the tourist-friendly Adirondack village, welcomed the news.
“All of our employees wear masks, but we stopped requiring all of our customers to wear masks because it was too difficult to enforce,” manager Scott Delahant explained. “To be honest, I got tired of arguing with people.”
Despite a sign on the door encouraging mask wear and a basket of free disposable masks, he said many shoppers browsed barefaced.
Nancy McGraw, public health director in Sullivan County in the mid-Hudson Valley, stated that the county is experiencing a “huge spike” in cases and hospitalizations. The county reported 20 COVID-19 patients on Friday, including 15 who were not vaccinated or did not have vaccination records. There were three patients in the intensive care unit, one of whom was on a ventilator.
That, according to McGraw, is “pretty significant for our small hospital.” “People have become a little complacent,” McGraw, who supports the mask mandate, added.
During the seven-day period ending Wednesday, the state recorded more than 68,000 positive tests for the virus. This is the highest rate in any seven-day period since the beginning of February, and rates are rising in nearly all counties.
“We’re heading in a direction that I don’t think is sustainable,” Hochul said.
In New York, nearly 3,500 people have been admitted to hospitals with confirmed COVID-19, nearly doubling from 1,794 on November 7.
The outbreak is particularly severe in some areas of upstate New York, which has accounted for nearly three-fourths of confirmed COVID-19 hospital deaths since August.
For example, Cattaraugus County in western New York has reported 32 such deaths in the last 30 days.
That is more than what has been reported in Manhattan or the Bronx.
According to federal data updated Friday, New York has the seventh-highest rate of fully vaccinated residents (70.1 percent).
However, according to data from about 1,300 zip codes provided by the state health agency, fewer than 60% of residents are fully vaccinated in more than 500 zip codes across New York.
According to the Associated Press, hospitalization rates are high and vaccination rates are low in certain areas of the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Western New York, and Capital Region.
In the 14301 and 14305 zip codes, for example, roughly half of Niagara Falls residents are fully vaccinated. Over the past month, the two communities (home to approximately 29,500 people) reported 69 COVID-19 hospital admissions and over 900 new infected people.
Due to capacity issues, thirty-two upstate hospitals in Niagara and elsewhere were forced to limit the number of non-essential elective surgeries performed beginning Thursday.
Glen Falls Hospital in Warren County, one of the state’s hardest-hit hospitals, reported 50 out of 165 patients had COVID-19 as of Wednesday.
According to state data, this is the most infected patient the hospital has ever reported.
“We’re still very busy across the board,” hospital spokesperson F. Raymond Agnew said.
According to Agnew, 70% of COVID-19 admissions are unvaccinated.
Hochul made the announcement at a social service agency on Manhattan’s west side, where most people already wear masks. Because New York City requires vaccinations for indoor restaurant dining, entertainment, and gyms, the new rule will have no effect on those venues.
Several upstate counties, including Erie County, which includes Buffalo, have recently enacted mask mandates.
Violators, according to Hochul, could face civil and criminal penalties, including a $1,000 fine.
In Sullivan County, officials are “disappointed” by lower vaccination rates in remote areas, according to McGraw: In Woodbourne, for example, 36% of the approximately 3,000 residents are fully vaccinated.
“We have very limited enforcement resources, and people need to do the right thing,” McGraw explained. “In this case, public accountability is critical.”
