Governor Cuomo issues order authorizing businesses to deny entry to those not wearing masks or face coverings

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today issued an Executive Order authorizing businesses to deny entry to individuals who do not wear masks or face-coverings. 

Governor Cuomo also announced a partnership with Rosie Perez and Chris Rock, who will help New York State build communication and education on the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing and the availability of testing and healthcare in the state.

The Governor also announced that New York State will distribute 1 million masks to New York City’s hardest-hit neighborhoods today. The state has already distributed more than 8 million masks across New York City, including to NYCHA developments, food banks, churches and homeless shelters.

New York State maintains a comprehensive testing network throughout the state, including more than 225 sites in New York City. New York’s extensive testing, the state currently conducts tens of thousands of tests per day, now allows the government to pinpoint the state’s hardest-hit neighborhoods for additional supplies and other aid.

The Governor also announced that the MTA will pilot the use of proven UV light technology to kill COVID-19 in subway cars and crew facilities. The MTA currently cleans and disinfects trains every day.

“I’ve been working to communicate this message about masks and how effective they are. They are deceptively effective, they are amazingly effective. And we’ve made them mandatory in public settings, public transportation, et cetera,” Governor Cuomo said. 

He added, “But when we’re talking about reopening stores and places of business, we’re giving the store owners the right to say, if you’re not wearing a mask, you can’t come in. That store owner has the right to protect themselves. That store owner has a right to protect the other patrons in that store. You don’t want to wear a mask, fine. But you don’t then have a right to then go into that store if that store owner doesn’t want you to.”

Finally, the Governor confirmed 1,768 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 366,733 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 366,733 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

 

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	1,814	18
Allegany	45	0
Broome	545	17
Cattaraugus	85	3
Cayuga	84	4
Chautauqua	81	3
Chemung	136	0
Chenango	126	1
Clinton	95	0
Columbia	380	0
Cortland	39	0
Delaware	78	0
Dutchess	3,867	20
Erie	5,886	76
Essex	36	0
Franklin	20	0
Fulton	200	2
Genesee	197	2
Greene	236	5
Hamilton	5	0
Herkimer	106	1
Jefferson	72	0
Lewis	20	0
Livingston	118	0
Madison	310	0
Monroe	2,824	33
Montgomery	82	0
Nassau	40,140	106
Niagara	984	12
NYC	201,051	1,083
Oneida	959	30
Onondaga	2054	21
Ontario	201	3
Orange	10,325	33
Orleans	212	2
Oswego	107	2
Otsego	70	1
Putnam	1,236	9
Rensselaer	469	3
Rockland	13,076	29
Saratoga	468	3
Schenectady	676	3
Schoharie	49	0
Schuyler	11	0
Seneca	56	1
St. Lawrence	201	1
Steuben	241	0
Suffolk	39,359	101
Sullivan	1,351	11
Tioga	126	2
Tompkins	156	1
Ulster	1,658	13
Warren	253	1
Washington	231	3
Wayne	112	2
Westchester	33,293	107
Wyoming	82	0
Yates	39	0