Gov. Kathy Hochul’s controversial statewide indoor mask mandate went into effect Monday in New York. The mandate comes a year after the state initiated its first vaccination, and COVID cases are rising. According to Hochul, the state has witnessed a 58 percent increase in new cases since Thanksgiving.
“The rest of the state now has a wake-up call,” Hochul said. “I’ve been warning, I’ve been saying if we can’t get more people vaccinated or boosted. I have to protect people, but also the economy.”
The mask mandate applies to all shops, restaurants, venues, houses of worship, and office buildings. Businesses are required to check a customer’s vaccination card or the customer must mask up indoors. Any business that fails to comply with this new mandate can be subject to a $1000 fine.
Shortly after the governor’s mandate went into effect, those at odds with her decision weighed in online.
https://twitter.com/SPepper1964/status/1469603612255006723?s=20
Lee Zeldin, a Republican challenger for governor criticized the mandate in an interview on CBS New York:
The most ironic thing about Hochul’s ridiculous new statewide mask mandate is that less people will want to get vaccinated because they’ll still have to be masked up in NY regardless. I joined @CBSNewYork to discuss. pic.twitter.com/ZWwKZfJkxR
— Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) December 12, 2021