Are you a New York City resident unhappy with the mask mandate? Don’t look at me, Governor Hochul says.

“If New York City … had not had taken their own steps, then we would have absolutely had that surgical approach,” she said. “And I would have looked at the numbers and seen bed capacity, which is pretty good here in New York City — watching that closely, infections were not high.”

Hochul added that her mask mandate, which forces businesses that don’t mandate vaccinations to require masks regardless of vaccination status, “didn’t make a difference” in NYC because “they already had a more restrictive requirement in place.”

Hochul also backtracked on how serious her mandate is, saying that it’s up to local officials to enforce it, acknowledging that many county executives have said they will refuse to enforce it.

“Counties have always had to enforce public health requirements. That’s what they do. I encourage the counties to do this, but it’s also — this is also up to individuals. Individuals are asked to follow regulations and in general, follow laws. And that is what we’re continuing to do here, she said.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)