Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz issued the following statement regarding the status of recent emergency orders issued by Erie County, including the requirement to wear masks in all indoor public locations issued on November 23, 2021:

“Yesterday, a Nassau County State Supreme Court Judge issued a decision on the constitutionality of an order issued by New York State. The judge did not rule on the merits of a mask mandate, nor on the constitutionality of emergency orders issued by local governments. All local orders, including Erie County's, are still valid because they were issued under a different section of New York’s Executive Law.

As such, all prior Erie County emergency orders are still in full effect, including the emergency order issued on November 23, 2021 requiring all patrons and public facing staff in indoor Erie County public locations to wear masks. ‘Indoor public locations’ includes, but is not limited to, bars, restaurants, hotels, barber shops, beauty parlors, bowling alleys, schools, office complexes, shopping centers, malls, stores, and any other location that is open to the public.”

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