Are You Complying With NY's Mask Mandate? [POLL]

NEW YORK — With the rising numbers of coronavirus infections over the last few weeks, a few states, including New York, are putting statewide indoor mask mandates back into effect.

New York's mandate went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

The problem, as Gov. Kathy Hochul and health experts see it, is the new omicron variant emerging at the same time as a predicted winter surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations all around the state.

Hochul's mandate requires masks to be worn in all indoor public places in New York unless proof of full vaccination against the coronavirus is required.

Being full vaccinated means 14 days after one's second dose of the Pfizer or Moderan vaccine or the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

"Indoor public space," in case you are wondering, means any indoor space that is not a private residence, including concert halls, indoor sports stadiums, restaurants, office buildings, grocery stores and common areas in residential buildings.

Enforcement will be done by the local health departments, and the maximum civil penalty is a $1,000 fine.

Hochul said the mandate will remain in place until Jan. 15, at which time it will be revisited.

County officials were mixed in their responses after Hochul announced the mandate.

On Long Island, both Democratic county executives of Nassau and Suffolk said they will not be actively enforcing the mask mandate, according to the New York Post.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would be having inspectors out and about making sure there's a "high level of compliance," the Post said.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is currently in quarantine after becoming infected with the coronavirus, said his county would comply, adding that it was "far less restrictive than a shutdown of our businesses."

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the mandate was a return to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's playbook. "We have seen this movie before," he said.

Day said he wasn't going to fine people or send inspectors out, NBC New York reported.

However, union representatives for retail workers had a different point of view.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said the mandate protects essential workers who come into contact with hundreds of people every day.

The announcement by Hochul "will help keep our members safe as well as the general public," he said. "We support these measures, and we know they will save lives."

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.