Governor Cuomo signed an executive order, today, May 28, that will authorize businesses to deny entry to anyone not wearing a face covering or mask.
“No mask, no entry,” he said.
Cuomo first signed an order that all New Yorkers must wear a face covering whenever “unable to social distance” (keep six feet apart) on April 17. Of course, that’s practically impossible in NYC, so it’s become a requirement basically whenever someone leaves the house.
In order to continue communicating “how effective they [face coverings] are” in keeping the spread of COVID-19 down — which the Governor has been emphasizing in daily press conferences and in new PSAs — and to expand the requirement in public settings and on transit, they are now allowing business owners the final say in their own space.
“When we’re talking about reopening stores and businesses, we’re giving the storeowners the right to say ‘if you’re not wearing a mask, you can’t come in,” he said. “That storeowner has the right to protect themselves, and the other patrons in that store.”
People have a right to jeopardize their own health (I don’t recommend it).
People don’t have a right to jeopardize other people’s health. https://t.co/kBBAex72W3
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 28, 2020
Retail businesses are allowed to open for curbside or in-store pickup or drop off in Phase 1 of reopening (which NYC still hasn’t met yet, but every other NY region has), and fully open with increased safety measures in Phase 2. Of course, grocery stores and other essential businesses have remained open through the pandemic.
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