In anticipation of Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing a relaxation or end to statewide mask mandates, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz released a statement Tuesday stating that if the state ends its indoor mask-wearing policy for public places, the county will as well.
"Erie County is prepared to follow the lead of Governor Hochul as she updates the public on New York State’s stance on masking in tomorrow’s announcement," he said.
It's likely that if Hochul lets current mask mandate requirement expire, she'll leave it up to local governments to decide if they want to continue requiring masks.
He noted that when he enacted his mandate regarding mask wearing in public places in November 2021, Covid cases related to the Delta variant were skyrocketing and hospital capacity was at less than 10%. Then the Omicron variant struck.
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"Today, thankfully, new infections have dropped tremendously, and hospital bed capacity rates have stabilized," he said, adding, "While these are positive and encouraging signs, a cautious, fact-based approach has always been most prudent and we will remain vigilant while monitoring this data in days and weeks to come."
Poloncarz also said that if the governor continues her statewide mask requirement, Erie County will continue its own indoor masking policies for consistency. Poloncarz has faced increasing criticism and political pressure regarding the county's mask mandate, which was enacted prior to Gov. Hochul's statewide mask mandate. However, the statewide mandate has been even more strict regarding what is considered a public location.
The county executive stated that in regard to county employees and county buildings, his emergency order from July requiring masks be worn by all employees and guests in county-owned facilities will continue through the end of this month to ensure a safe working environment. At the end of the month, the county will reassess the need for keeping the mask mandate in place.
