New Castle Officials Mull Enacting Mask Requirement
New Castle officials will consider activating a mask mandate in town as current COVID-19 cases are again on the upswing across the area and the state and uneasiness about the Omicron variant surfaces.
On Tuesday evening, the Town Board is scheduled to discuss the issue about three months after it revised its original local legislation that empowers the supervisor to enact a mask requirement for most indoor spaces and possibly outdoor public space should cases spike.
Councilwoman Lori Morton, who proposed a mandate in late summer, said the town should revisit the issue with cases on the rise and the emergence over the past couple of weeks of the Omicron variant.
“I believe we will continue to have new variants,” said Morton, who has favored mask wearing in public for most of the pandemic. “I also believe that we are in the rise of a new peak that will only extend during the holiday season and into the early winter, so I am in support of us enforcing a mask mandate.”
As of Dec. 2, the Town of New Castle had 59 active cases, according to Westchester County’s COVID-19 dashboard, nearly twice as many as when the board approved the revised measure.
The revised law, approved on Sept. 14, allows the supervisor to call for mandatory mask wearing on municipal property or while riding public transportation, in stores or in outdoor spaces or a combination of one or more of those venues. It replaced legislation from the summer of 2020, which required universal mask wearing in public.
Acting Supervisor Jeremy Saland said last week he is leaning toward supporting a mask mandate after hearing some feedback with news of the new variant. However, he wanted to wait to receive feedback from the community to help guide officials on how they should proceed.
“I think the public should opine and share their thoughts, but I am concerned and my wife certainly has my ear on this and other things,” said Saland, whose wife is a doctor.
During discussions leading up to the revised legislation several months ago, there had been talk about excluding gyms and fitness businesses from the new law because of potential pushback.
The town ultimately included those facilities in the revised legislation, but Morton said that she was concerned that the law would never be enacted because there has been some opposition to mandating masks when people are working out.
Councilwoman and Supervisor-elect Lisa Katz said she has spoken to medical professionals recently who said that Omicron and additional variants might likely be more contagious as the virus mutates, but will likely become less deadly as the virus looks for a way to survive.
Councilwoman Laura Levin said she had mixed feelings about a mask requirement, realizing that some merchants might be hesitant to impose new restrictions on shoppers while understanding that many others are concerned about their health and safety.
The discussion of the potential mask mandate is scheduled for the Town Board’s work session this Tuesday evening, which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
