Uproar about mask mandate

It is disturbing that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, as a public official, apparently has little regard for public health and safety and chooses to ignore basic health practices when the number of people getting COVID-19 is high ["Blakeman must stop pandering," Editorial, Jan. 12].

If wearing masks is optional, the message conveyed is that an individual’s personal desires take preference over protecting others and that we do not have a responsibility to others.

Using that reasoning, we should do away with smoking restrictions in public buildings because it interferes with an individual’s right to smoke.

Blakeman would better serve the public by encouraging those who are unvaccinated to get vaccinated so we can all be done with the necessity of wearing masks. 

— Ilene Buchman, Merrick

I think what County Executive Bruce Blakeman did by standing up for parental choice by signing the executive order was one of the most positive actions by a politician in a long time. That he is offering parental choice is the most sensible solution to this political push and pull we are dealing with. Let’s move forward, or this virus cloud will be upon us for much longer if we don’t start learning how to live with it and stop being afraid.

— Robert Ciaccio, Bethpage

Masks should not be political. It should be based on science and facts. County Executive Bruce Blakeman obviously has a mask over his eyes and ears.

You know who doesn’t complain about wearing a mask? Kids. As a school bus driver and lunch monitor, I have not heard one complaint by a child, some as young as 2. What message are you sending to children by complaining about something that protects them?

— Alice Debbie, Hicksville

Bravo to the editorial board for its last sentences, "Blakeman is wrong on the law. He’s wrong on the science. He’s wrong on the politics. And he’s wrong on what’s best for Nassau County." He needs to govern this county without his skewed politics on the mandate.

— Janet Hoffman, North Bellmore

Why is Gov. Kathy Hochul focusing on only one executive order and threatening to withhold funds from schools? Didn’t she give counties the authority to enforce the mask mandates?

I am against these mandates. These kids have been put in the middle, pawns in a dangerous game. They can’t fight, so their parents must. I am done sitting back waiting for the issue to go away.

We elected Bruce Blakeman as Nassau County executive because he hears us and sees that what’s going on isn’t right.

— Dawn Cluff, Bayville

The omicron variant is surging, and the record number of children getting sick with COVID-19 is alarming. The lifting of mask mandates in Nassau County at this time is reckless. Medical experts agree that masks provide a layer of protection that helps reduce the transmission of viruses. If County Executive Bruce Blakeman truly cared about the health and safety of residents, he would have followed the advice of doctors and scientists, not politicians and misinformed parents.

— Janet Farber, Jericho

How can Gov. Kathy Hochul issue a mask "mandate" without requiring its enforcement? Counties are not required to ensure compliance, nor is the governor going to penalize the counties that ignore it. So what’s the point?

— Thomas Atkinson, Hauppauge

The county executive’s actions have shown he is unfit to serve in office.

First, he showed a disregard for the health and lives of his supporters by holding his indoor inaugural ceremonies maskless, possibly exposing them to COVID-19.

He then declared he would not enforce Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mask mandate, thus increasing the exposure of county residents to infection, especially those who have not been vaccinated.

Finally, using a power he doesn’t possess, he gave county school boards the right to opt out of the state Board of Education mask mandate. Any school boards that complied would be putting their children, teachers and staff at risk for COVID-19.

— Paul Gawkowski, Babylon

I enjoyed reading about the Regeneron Talent Science Search 2022 semifinalists ["49 LI students named semifinalists," News, Jan. 7]. Also on the cover, though, County Executive Bruce Blakeman is not wearing a mask, surrounded by several equally unmasked, applauding women. Apparently, he thinks wearing masks can cause medical concerns. I know now that he doesn’t understand science or the law.

— Dorothy Labowski, Remsenburg

The current mask and vaccine mandates are not making enough of a difference to justify their continued implementation. The current spike in cases is due to seasonality, and the mandates are not doing anything to change it. All the mandates in the world will never trump Mother Nature.

I have a daughter in elementary school, and my choice is for her to not wear a mask in school. If other parents want their children to, that’s great, but it should be a parental decision.

— Matthew Bernstein, Massapequa

Before exclaiming the virtues of his decision to ignore state law on masking mandates, I suggest our new county executive spend an entire week in a classroom full of maskless children. Or how about a week in a retail environment where he is exposed to the public? His apparent disregard for the health and safety of our teachers and retail workers is appalling, along with his rejection of science and the rule of law.

What a horrible example he is setting for our children.

— Mark Pomerantz, Hicksville

Thanks to County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s shortsighted mask policy, I will be stopping my support of local merchants who do not mandate wearing a mask indoors. I recently have not entered my local grocery store or my pharmacy. And I probably will no longer feel safe at my church.

— Virginia DeFrancisci, Seaford

County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s decision to disregard the governor’s mask mandate has helped me, as a county resident, discover great restaurants in Queens (some just steps from the county border) where one can enjoy both great food and dine in safety among masked and vaccinated patrons.

— Peter Mazer, East Meadow