Chemung, other S. Tier counties say they don't have resources to be the 'masking police'

New York state once again has an indoor facemask mandate to try and slow the spread of COVID-19, but don't look for local counties to actively enforce that rule.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the mandate Friday, saying that skyrocketing COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates necessitated a stronger statewide response.

COVID-19 cases spiked statewide more than 43% since Thanksgiving, Hochul said, while hospitalizations increased by 29% in the same period.

The measure will be reevaluated on Jan. 15, Hochul added, but counties aren't waiting until then to push back on the edict.

Officials in several counties across the state say they don't plan to enforce the mask mandate, citing a lack of manpower as the main reason.

Counties across the Southern Tier are among those adopting that stance.

"We don't have the resources to be the masking police," said Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss. "I think it's up to the governor and the state to handle any enforcement mechanism."

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During the early phases of the pandemic, Chemung County set up a link on its website that allowed people to register complaints about businesses that weren't enforcing mask mandates.

That link is no longer there and there are no plans to reactivate it, Moss said.

Instead, anyone who has a complaint about the mandate not being enforced should report it to the state Health Department or the governor's office, he said.

Counties focus on other COVID prevention measures

Rather than trying to police facemask usage, area counties are putting their resources toward other avenues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including stressing the importance of safety guidelines to residents.

"COVID is still surging in our communities and our hospitals are still under immense pressure, and the use of masks in indoor settings is a valuable tool to help reduce spread," said Lorelei Wagner, Steuben County public health education coordinator.

"Coupled with other prevention strategies, such as getting vaccinated, receiving your booster, and staying home and getting tested when sick, we can reduce spread in Steuben County," Wagner said. "It is vital that we all double down on these layered prevention strategies, especially during the holiday season when we are gathering with friends and family."

Schuyler County is fortunate that the county's only hospital isn't overflowing with COVID-19 patients, said Deputy County Administrator Fonda Chronis.

County officials take the virus seriously, but the focus isn't on enforcing the mask mandate, Chronis said.

"We want to focus on education and really focus on vaccinations," he said. "We think that's the most effective thing to do."

Chronis said he's been to the Walmart in Watkins Glen twice since Hochul announced the mask mandate, and it looked like most customers were complying.

Counties say they want voluntary compliance

Elsewhere in the Southern Tier, Delaware County also isn't planning to crack down on facemask violations but warned businesses they could still get in trouble if they don't make sure customers comply.

"Delaware County does not have the internal framework to enforce this mandate," county Board of Supervisors Chair Tina Molé said in a statement on the county's Facebook page.

"However, please be aware that businesses have oversight from other state agencies, such as Agriculture and Markets or other professional licensing boards," Molé said. "These agencies may enforce the newest mandate."

Tioga County is following a similar approach.

"Tioga County Public Health will not be proactively enforcing the mask mandate," said Senior Public Health Educator Kylie Holochak. "We ask our community to please be supportive of businesses you visit during this time and respect the signage posted on their doors regarding the use of masks while inside of their business.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar, who last week followed Hochul's announcement with a plea for local residents to get vaccinated and mask up, said he's happy the latest state mandate isn't as oppressive as some of last year's pandemic-related decrees from Albany.

"This order from the state is a much better alternative than any slowdown or shutdown of business like we saw last year. That’s the last thing we want to see," Garnar said.

"Our main goal is to support and assist businesses in any way possible so we can avoid that worst-case scenario at all costs," he said. "We will provide ongoing education and answer any and all questions they have over the next month while this order is in place."

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: S. Tier counties say they don't have resources to enforce mask mandate