Mayor Daniel Hall on Friday urged city residents to be prepared to wear masks in public, echoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order regarding wearing masks in public.
"If you are going to be in a situation, in public, where you come into contact with other people in a situation that is not socially distanced, you must have a mask or a cloth covering nose and mouth," Gov. Cuomo said on Wednesday afternoon from Albany.
The Governor added that people should wear masks that cover their nose and mouth in places like public transportation, grocery stores or crowded intersections, but it was not necessary for more remote areas where there were fewer people and effective social distancing could be maintained.
Mayor Hall urged anyone who ventures into public spaces to take a mask with them and to put it on in situations where maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others isn’t possible.
Residents should avoid calling to report neighbors who aren’t wearing masks unless those neighbors are grossly flouting the law to the point where they are putting others in danger.
“It’s only required in more crowded situations where social distancing is not possible,” Mayor Hall said. “Residents should be prepared with a mask and should use it in those situations.”
The notion of wearing a mask covering one’s nose and mouth is to help prevent those who are asymptomatic and may not know they are infected from spreading the virus to others. Those who know they have the virus should stay isolated and not venture into public spaces.