Businesses cope with new mask mandate in Glen Cove

Masks are once again required in all indoor public places in New York state, unless an establishment requires proof of full vaccination against the coronavirus, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Dec. 10. The mandate will remain in place until Jan. 15, when Hochul said she would take another look at where New York stands, and adapt the mandate to the circumstances.

“As governor, my top priority is to protect the health of New Yorkers and the health of our economy,” Hochul said at a news conference on Monday, “and these temporary measures will help us get through the holiday season safely.”

Local businesses were expected to do their best to comply with the mandate, though for some, it will hurt. “It’s putting an undue burden on businesses where we’ve lost members because of it,” Alvin Batista, owner of Glen Cove Fitness, said. “People refuse to come in because of it and wind up canceling,” Nonetheless, Batista said, “My staff has been masked the entire time. They were never unmasked since we reopened in August 2020.”

Anyone over age 2 is now required to wear a mask in an indoor public space. Businesses and venues that choose to verify vaccination will not be required to also mandate masks, according to Hochul’s office. Those who violate the mandate are subject to a $1,000 fine. Local health departments will be tasked with enforcing it.

Since Dec.13, Glen Cove Fitness has required members to wear masks, rather than checking their vaccination status. “We’re probably through the worst of it — it took about seven days to get everybody cycled through who was going to complain about it,” Batista said. “Most people are pretty good, but you have a small, vocal minority who make a big deal of it.”

With the high infection rates and the holidays — traditionally a slow time for the gym — Batista said there had been a slight drop in attendance, but it was hard to tell what the mandate’s long-term impact would be.

Working out with a mask on is a little more difficult, but, he said, the gym sells brackets that can give mask-wearers a bit more breathing room, which helps.

Referring to Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman’s statement that he would not enforce the mandate after he takes office on Jan. 1, Batista added, “If he’s not enforcing it, I’m not going to be the mask police for New York state.”

Similarly, some restaurants, which have felt the impact of previous masking guidelines, are seeing a loss of business during a season that was starting to look more normal.

“Going into the holidays, we had parties booked, and it was looking good,” Jeanine DiMenna, owner and executive chef of The View Grill, in Glen Cove, said. “But just this weekend, we had two big parties cancel on us. I guess people are getting scared again.”

For other businesses, Hochul’s mandate will have little impact. Many North Shore business owners say customers have complied with mask policies without protest, and have adopted mask-wearing as part of their normal routine.

“Our business has not changed at all,” said Laura Escobar, owner of Hive Market and Maker’s Space, a workspace and specialty retail space in Oyster Bay. “We’ve been open for just over seven months now, and most people who [have been] entering our shop from day one come in already wearing a mask. We’ve recently begun offering private classes so that people can stay within their ‘bubble’ and feel safer, while still staying connected.”

While many Long Island communities are reporting instances of customers refusing to wear masks, most local businesses say the need for confrontation has been minimal. “Before the mandate, at least half of our clients wore masks into the shop as part of their everyday routine, and asking those that didn’t hasn’t been an issue,” said Kimberle Frost, co-owner of Frost Ceramics and Mercantile in Sea Cliff. “We all realize we have to take precautions to protect ourselves and our communities.”

Hochul’s decision came just days after the emergence of the Omicron variant in New York state, along with a predicted winter surge of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations statewide, threatening a hospital bed shortage like the one seen last year.

Although the percentage of New Yorkers fully vaccinated continues to increase, that rise “is not fast enough to completely curb the spread of the virus,” a Dec. 10 press release issued by the state read. Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 43 percent, and hospitalizations have increased by 29 percent.

“It’s sad to see the numbers going back up again, and I hate to speculate, but we may experience another shutdown,” Frost said. “The good news is we’re better prepared, but it will still have some impact on small businesses that have already suffered … Fingers crossed we don’t have another shutdown and can navigate through this next phase together.”