HOCHUL: Opponents of mask mandate just seeking headlines

WSHU - PUBLIC RADIO: Hochul says opponents to her mask mandate are just seeking 'headlines'

Gov. Kathy Hochul defended her statewide mask mandate Tuesday as fallout from the directive continued with at least a dozen counties in the state refusing to enforce the directive.

Under the policy, businesses, restaurants and entertainment venues must require that all patrons either wear masks, or all customers prove they are fully vaccinated before they can enter.

The plan calls for counties to enforce the mandates. But over the weekend, rebellion spread, and by Monday, at least 12 counties said they will not be enforcing the mandate. Some county leaders also complained that the new mandate was hastily devised and announced, and three days was not enough time to prepare for the changes.

Hochul defended the mandate rollout, saying she fully informed county leaders in a phone call to the state Association of Counties about the details beginning last Thursday.

“Including a call to the head of the Association of Counties that I placed myself, who said they support what we are doing,” Hochul said. “And they understand it.”

She called out county leaders who have publicly opposed the mandates, including Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman, saying they are trying to score political points at the expense of public health.

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

Hochul said the majority of county leaders, who represent 73% of the state’s population, do back the mandates....

https://www.wshu.org/long-island-news/2021-12-14/hochul-says-opponents-…