Enforcing the face covering mandate

Enforcing the face covering mandate

Mask mandate here in oneida county will go into effect three days from now on may first.

Oneida county executive anthony picente made that announcement laterthis afternoon.

The order requires retail stores...especially grocery stores...to ensure that anyone entering the store has a face covering.

News channel 2's brent kearney joins us live in north utica.

Brent how will this order be enforced???

Kristen in his briefing today county executive picente says they're going to take this on a case by case basis.

Meaning they will find out who is not compliant through complaint calls to the county.

Earlier, the state issued a mask mandate, this order by the health department is enforcing that.

Picente said that stores will be in charge of making sure those coming in have their faces covered.

If found non compliant stores could receive a misdemeanor charge of violating a public health order.

The fine for stores would be 2,000 dollars.

"we will take it on a case by case basis.

We are hoping that this order will tightens up that message quite a bit.

Obviously their are a great many establishments like their are a great many restaraunts and such.

So we will take it on a case by case basis."

"if we do not reduce the spread in the next couple of weeks, the ability for us to reopen the community in a gradual phase or in a phased in approach will not take place."

Picente says this enforcement order is to keep our numbers as low as possible.

Some stores have already began placing signs on the front requiring people to wear masks.

But the county says it doesn't have to be a mask it can be a face covering of any sorts.

If you need a mask, the county is working out how to distribute a total of 50,000 masks throughout the area.

But they could also be found online and at some local stores.

In utica brent kearney news channel 2 brent, thank you.

These are difficult economic times for many different