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Lewis County Clarifies Indoor Masking Policy
Published: December 16, 2021
at 05:30 p.m.
By: Press Release from Lewis County Board of
Legislators
Lewis County Clarifies Indoor Masking Policy
Lowville, NY – As a community
with a low rate of vaccination and a high rate of transmission, Lewis
County’s limited healthcare resources could easily be overwhelmed by a
spike in COVID-19 cases.
Last year, the
prevalence of COVID-19 in our community reached an all-time high after the
holidays. If the same trend continues in 2022, it is likely elective
surgeries will be canceled, and our health system will be unable to provide
inpatient care to County residents who require it.
Wearing masks in
public venues is a proven strategy to reduce the risk of transmission in our
community. Masks are inconvenient and uncomfortable, but they are a small
sacrifice to protect those in our community who are especially susceptible
to severe illness from the COVID-19 virus.
Lewis County
supports and applauds any business or public venue that wishes to require masks
or encourage employees and patrons to get vaccinated.
Businesses that
choose not to implement a mask requirement subject themselves to scrutiny
from their jurisdictional state licensing agencies. Despite several rounds
of State-implemented pandemic regulations, Lewis County has yet to fine a
business in our community for noncompliance, and instead has opted to
contact businesses to urge compliance.
The County does
not patrol for, nor police, mask violations, nor do we wish to penalize
local businesses with fines. Lewis County, however, reserves the right to
refer businesses or organizations that display blatant disregard for public
safety to the appropriate state licensing agency.
Vaccination
remains the most effective way to combat COVID-19 in our community. Vaccine
clinic information and registration can be found on the County’s website, https://www.lewiscounty.org/vaccine-registration.
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