Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s mask mandate in NYC
New York, NYC — Masks will be required in all indoor public places across New York State unless a full vaccination requirement. Ramnauth said he supports Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s mask mandate, but admitted there is concern upset customers could lash out at his employees.
On Monday, our policy requiring masking or vaccination at indoor public places went into effect.
On Tuesday, over 200,000 people got vaccinated. On Wednesday, 200,000 more did.
And this week, local health departments are getting one million additional rapid testing kits.— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 17, 2021
“We try to handle it in a very diplomatic way and talk to them in a very courteous way, say, ‘Sir, do you want a mask? Do you need something? We’re more than happy to work with you,’” Ramnauth said.
This comes as nationwide the average number of Covid 19 cases is up 37% from last week, with hospitalizations rising in at least 42 states. Statewide, since Thanksgiving, the seven-day average case rate has increased by 43% and hospitalizations have increased by 29%.
New York City, proof of full vaccination is already required to dine indoors, and to go to the gym and entertainment venues. Some say abruptly imposing it on business owners focused on recouping their losses during the holiday season isn’t fair.
The state-wide COVID positivity rate is at just under 5%. The governor says around 10% of hospitals in the state don’t have the capacity to handle the surge in cases.
