Latimer: Westchester could bring back mask requirements and capacity limits

Local lawmakers are deciding if they need to bring back COVID-19 restrictions.

News 12 Staff

Jul 27, 2021, 9:49 AM

Updated 1,166 days ago

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New COVID-19 cases in Westchester County have more than quadrupled this month, and now local lawmakers are deciding if they need to bring back COVID-19 restrictions. 
County Executive George Latimer says in the next few days, he will be announcing whether mask wearing and capacity limits will be required on county properties, including Playland Park, county beaches and parks and golf courses.
According to county health officials, the latest numbers show 745 active cases of coronavirus in Westchester, which is up from 175 just a month ago. 
It hasn't been decided just yet whether county employees will be required to get COVID-19 vaccines or be tested routinely. When asked if the county is considering mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations or COVID-19 testing among county workers like New York City, Latimer said, "I think we want to have community dialogue before we do anything like that, and I don't want to commit myself to a policy because a neighboring jurisdiction is doing it."
Latimer added, "The city of Yonkers, the city of Mount Vernon, the city of White Plains and New Rochelle are also component parts of this, so any action that we might take involving county workers should be involved in a dialogue locally with the major governments."
A Yonkers spokesperson tells News 12 there have been no discussions about enforcing a vaccine mandate there. New Rochelle and Mount Vernon officials say while they have talked about it, they are not adopting such a policy at this time.