Gubernatorial Hopeful Slams Mask Mandate But Reaction is Varied

The presumed Republican frontrunner for the party’s nomination in the 2022 gubernatorial race slammed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mask mandate last week, warning that it jeopardizes myriad business owners and infringes on personal freedom.

Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin visited Jefferson Valley in Yorktown last Thursday with several local officials and merchants, charging that “the government is forcing you to turn (customers) away” even though many small businesses either failed or have barely survived the pandemic.

He chided Hochul for having run out of ideas, with her decision-making consisting of mandates, threats, fines and firings.

“We need people in government to be sensitive to what they need in order to survive because our small businesses are the engine, the backbone of the economy, the heart and soul of our community,” Zeldin said while accompanied by Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R-Mahopac) and Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater on Hill Boulevard in front of Frankie & Augie’Z Ristorante and Pizzeria.

Hochul put the mandate into effect Dec. 13 for all indoor public spaces as a fall surge in COVID-19 has seen active caseloads skyrocket throughout New York and hospitals in some areas upstate fill up. On Saturday, New York State broke its record for the most new COVID-19 cases in one day since the start of the pandemic– 22,478, according to its daily online tracker.

Her directive allows businesses and venues to opt for proof of vaccination to enter the premises rather than masks but not both. Violators could be fined up to $1,000. The governor said she would reassess the matter on Jan. 15.

Zeldin said Yorktown is vulnerable because it is one of the communities that borders Putnam County, which is ignoring the governor. Last Monday, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell said police and health officials will not be enforcing the mandate.

“In my conversations with some of the business owners who are here is that there are people who are going to be taking their business to Putnam; they’re not going to be bringing their business here because of this mandate, which is causing even more pain and entirely unnecessary,” Zeldin said. “What we need is leadership to be consistent, but not consistently inconsistent, which leaves a whole lot of people wondering what hammer is next.”

Byrne said merchants don’t want to be harassing customers to put on a mask or display their vaccine passport or other personal information. He said store owners in Yorktown and other communities are going to be at a competitive disadvantage as well as placing business owners and their employees in a difficult position.

“It is going to be even harder for them to do their job when customers are upset because they feel that they are forced to ask (customers) for a vaccine passport or force them to wear a mask,” Byrne said. “It’s unfair for counties to be competing on a different playing field.”

Slater said he supports what Massachusetts has done, which is to leave the decision to each municipality to determine what is best for their community.

A spokesperson for Hochul said that in remarks made by the governor last week, 73 percent of the state’s population is governed by leaders who say they support the mandate. However, it’s also meant to highlight for the public the urgency of the matter and that personal responsibility is crucial as well for there to be compliance.

“That is a pretty large number of individuals represented by people doing the right thing,” Hochul said during a briefing last week. “I encouraged the counties to do this, but it’s also, this is also up to individuals. Individuals are asked to follow regulations and in general follow laws, and that is what we’re continuing to do here. There’s nothing extraordinary about this.”

State Sen. Peter Harckham (D-Lewisboro) said he agrees that store owners are put in a difficult position, but for elected officials to publicly oppose the mandate fail is counterproductive.

“In times of crisis, leaders are supposed to be inspiring folks to do the right thing for each other, and if we want to keep our businesses strong and if we want to keep our kids in school, wearing a piece of cloth on your face is what the medical experts say will help keep the population healthy,” Harckham said. “For elected officials to be feeding into the anger and the negativity, I believe is the wrong approach.”

A random sampling of business owners ran the gamut, from those who are opposed to the governor’s measure to others who have imposed their own mask mandate since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Rich Donovan, president of All Seasons Wine & Spirits in Yorktown Heights, said last week that he lost customers. When told they need a mask, they walked out and said they would shop elsewhere. He said it is wrong to pit citizen versus citizen.

“Within one hour I had several customers turn around and walk away (and say) ‘I’ll take my business to Putnam seven minutes up the road,’” Donovan said.

Other business owners in areas farther away had less of an issue, but not completely without incidents. Mimi Wieland-Tesfaye, owner of Mimi’s Café in Mount Kisco, said most customers have generally complied when asked to put on a mask.

However, different standards based on the type of business has been confusing for some patrons. Wieland-Tesfaye said that some people wonder that why if they’re vaccinated and boosted must they still wear a mask when they enter or leave the premises or approach the counter. Then they see others who are sitting with a beverage who don’t have masks on, even when talking to someone else.

“I just want to be serving coffee, not telling people what to do,” Wieland-Tesfaye said.

Kevin Kane, vice president of the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco, said fitness centers have other challenges. Strenuous exercise makes it unrealistic for many patrons to wear masks, unlike shopping in Target or Wal Mart, where it shouldn’t be difficult for a shopper to wear one for a finite period of time.

With the recent mandate, Saw Mill requires members to be vaccinated, he said. Once proof of vaccination is presented, no mask is required and the member is logged into the system as vaccinated. Currently, unvaccinated members aren’t allowed until the regulation is rescinded.

Kane, a strong vaccine proponent, said Saw Mill has willingly complied with every mandate during the pandemic, but sometimes leaders seem to forget the challenges.

“There’s an unappreciated part of business, which I don’t think is recognized by the medical community or the political community,” Kane said.

Annette Colasuonno, owner of Lil Chocolate Shop in Pleasantville, said she has had her own mask mandate for her store since the emergence of COVID-19. At 72 years old, she doesn’t want to get sick, although the overwhelming portion of visitors have complied. However, there have been a few difficult people.

“If someone comes in with an attitude, they’re always going to have an attitude,” Colasuonno said. “It doesn’t matter.”