Blakeman Defends Decision On Mask Mandate After Criticism

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman defended his decision to not enforce the governor's statewide mask mandate at a press conference this morning, saying that Nassau County didn't need it because it was not in crisis.

Blakeman touted the county's 97 percent vaccination rate among adults as one of the main reasons the mask mandate was not needed here. Under the mandate, which went into effect on Monday, masks are required at any indoor venue that does not require proof of full vaccination.

"What the governor did was paint the whole state with a broad brush," Blakeman, a Republican, said.

The county executive-elect has come under fire from Democrats, who claim he's politicizing the issue.

Gov. Kathy Hochul was asked about Blakeman's announcement at a press conference Tuesday morning.

"We have to get to a point of rational discussion about this," she said. "And it's not about scoring political points and getting headlines to call out the governor on an issue. That doesn't affect a single thing I do.

"I will always do what's right for the people of this state, and right now, we are still in a pandemic," Hochul continued. "Cases are escalating, hospitalizations are escalating, and the number of people vaccinated is not where it should be. And I would not be overconfident of any county about their current state of affairs in respect to this current situation, because we just don't know what the future will bring."

Blakeman said that counties need to use "common sense" in enforcing the mandate. He pointed out the area's high vaccination rate, as well as the high number of healthcare facilities on Long Island, which are not filling up with coronavirus patients yet.

"We are not in crisis," said Blakeman. "We also have to use common sense. We have to look at collateral damage, and we have to listen to business owners. And basically, by and large, my decision has been very popular with business owners."

Hospitalizations in New York have jumped 70 percent since Thanksgiving, Hochul said. Cases have been growing steadily on Long Island, as well, with a positivity rate on Monday of 6.77 percent. Nassau County has been seeing hundreds of new cases of the virus confirmed every day. And the new omicron variant has also been detected here.

“Just one day after the omicron variant was discovered in Nassau County, it is naive for County Executive-elect Blakeman to declare that ‘we’ll never be in crisis again’ during the remainder of the pandemic,” said William Biamonte, Chief of Staff of the Nassau County Legislature’s Minority Caucus. “Such a statement illustrates the political motivations behind this decision.”