Syracuse, N.Y. – Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said today he will mandate face coverings for all staff or visitors to senior living centers but not for other indoor facilities.
In response to CDC guidance that everyone wear masks indoors in counties with significant levels of Covid-19, including Onondaga County, McMahon said vaccinated individuals can decide for themselves whether to follow that advice.
He urged people to get the vaccine to protect themselves and others. But he said the CDC’s call for vaccinated people to continue wearing masks weakens that message.
For many in Central New York, “the only reason they got a vaccine is to not have to wear masks,’’ McMahon said.
“By saying to people, get the shot but then you gotta wear masks, to people who are on the edge that is not a selling message,’’ he said.
If cases continue to mount, McMahon’s guidance may change, he said. As it stands, Onondaga County only reached the CDC’s threshold for “substantial’' virus transmission – 50 new cases per 100,000 residents – on Sunday.
“I think everyone needs to take a deep breath with that,’’ McMahon said during a Zoom call with reporters. “The reality is, that guidance doesn’t take into account hospitalizations.’’
Onondaga County currently has 21 Covid-19 patients in local hospitals, up from 16 on Wednesday. During the peak of the pandemic in January, local hospitals were swamped with more than 300 Covid-19 patients.
McMahon said he will sign an executive order today or tomorrow requiring everyone to wear a mask when inside a nursing home, assisted care center or independent senior living facility. He also advised seniors or people with compromised immune systems – or anyone else who feels they are at risk -- to wear masks indoors.
“Talk to your doctor about whether you should be wearing masks in these times,’’ he said.
As the highly infectious Delta variant spreads, increasing numbers of vaccinated people are testing positive for Covid-19. Dr. Indu Gupta, the county health commissioner, said as many as one-third of new cases in recent days affected vaccinated individuals.
Most vaccinated people who get the virus do not develop serious symptoms or require hospitalization, she said.
Masks are effective at slowing transmission, Gupta said. County health officials pointed to the extremely low rate of influenza this year as proof of that.
“Adding masks does help in terms of transmission of virus,’’ Gupta said.
County officials are waiting for guidance from the state health department on whether K-12 students will be required to wear masks when school opens in September, Gupta said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo today said it’s up to county officials whether to mandate mask usage at businesses or other indoor locations. He urged them to act quickly, because the Delta variant is spreading fast. McMahon said he will not issue such a mandate, at least for now, and he has not asked private businesses such as supermarkets or malls to adopt mask rules on their own.
McMahon said he did not foresee any change in mask requirements at the State Fair as a result of the CDC guidance. Dave Bullard, a fair spokesman, agreed.
“Guidance for the State Fair from the state remains as before – those who are unvaccinated are asked to wear masks. If and when guidelines change, we will implement those changes,” Bullard said.
In response to the rising caseload, the county will resume providing rapid Covid tests. McMahon said he hopes to start the testing Thursday at the Civic Center, but the details are still being worked out.
He encouraged anyone who tests positive to cooperate with contact tracers so that potentially infected people can be placed in quarantine to stop the spread. Lately, some individuals have failed to respond to contact tracers, McMahon said.
If the lack of cooperation continues, McMahon said, he will issue an executive order authorizing fines or other penalties for those who fail to comply.
The county today reported 36 new cases of Covid-19. There were 62 cases Sunday and 51 on Saturday.
If case numbers rise exponentially, county officials will reassess their policies, McMahon said.
“We reserve the right to pivot,’’ he said.
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