New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide mask mandate took effect on Monday. The mandate requires face masks to be worn in all indoor public places with no vaccine requirement. However, in the three days between the mandate’s announcement and its implementation, businesses and local officials have received no guidance from the state on enforcement. Others have outright refused to enforce it.
According to a FAQ about the mandate, people two years old and older are required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status, “However, businesses and venues can choose to implement a vaccination requirement, requiring proof of vaccination as a condition of entry inside the business or venue.”
As a New York resident who is vaccinated, I decided to test out the mandate in a county that has stated it will not enforce the mandate—of which there are several. I had some grocery shopping to do anyway.
I expected that businesses, despite the county’s lack of enforcement, might choose to follow the mandate anyway, so I was prepared to show my digital proof of vaccination if necessary, and, if pressured to mask up or leave, inform them that the county isn’t enforcing the mandate to see how they’d respond.
First, I went to one national chain supermarket. A giant banner was posted outside informing people of the mask requirement, and I was sure I’d be stopped upon entering.
But I wasn’t. I walked in, grabbed a shopping cart, and went about my business. I was not the only patron maskless, though at least 90% of people inside were masked. All employees were masked—though that has been the norm for some time now. I fully expected for someone to tell me I needed to wear a mask… either an employee or a virtue-signaling customer ready to pounce and tell me what a lousy citizen I was.
But nothing. I grabbed a few things I needed and went to check out. I specifically chose not to use a self-checkout lane to put myself in a situation where I was face-to-face and engaging with an employee to see if I would be informed of the policy. But nothing happened. A little small talk and that was it. I was on my way. I was never stopped. No one hassled me about being maskless.
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I decided to make one more stop at a regional chain supermarket to see how that went. Like the previous store, there was signage out front informing customers of the requirement to mask up. Once again, I found myself expecting to be told to put on a mask per the mandate. I passed plenty of masked store employees, but none stopped me. I was not the only person maskless either. Once again, I would estimate about 90% were masked. This place was smaller than the last store I went to, so I browsed more aisles to see what would happen.
But nothing did—business as usual. I also chose a lane with an actual check-out clerk at this place to see if I would be informed about the mandate, but once again, I was not reprimanded for being maskless.
I wanted to try more places, but I had perishable food and needed to get home. But so far, it seems that Hochul’s mandate has no teeth, particularly in a county where local officials aren’t enforcing it.
It is only the first day, so I suspect that things will change. All I know is that if I thought I’d be expected to wear a mask again, I wouldn’t have gotten vaccinated in the first place.
