BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County Legislators don’t want the Department of Public Health to fine businesses or people who violate the state mask mandate.

The state recently issued a mandate that requires all persons to be masked inside businesses or public buildings regardless of vaccination status, unless everyone present can show proof of vaccination.

Several legislators opted not to unmask during the meeting, the majority of those present wore masks but removed them once seated.

The resolution does not bar the St. Lawrence County Department of Public Health from issuing fines, but encourages against the practice.

The resolution was originally passed 11-4 within committee and did the same Jan. 3 at the organizational meeting.

Legislators Nicole Terminelli, Margaret Haggard, Suzanne Fiacco and John Burke opposed.

In the past those opposing it raised concerns about telling public health officials how to do their job.

In a previous discussion legislator John Burke, R-Norwood, questioned the need to give such direction to public health. He said he did not see the need to direct the county department “to not do what they had already planned to not do.”

He said he was reluctant to support the resolution because they’ve been doing a good job and were the experts on the matter.

The resolution was championed by Kevin Acres, R-Madrid, who has been vocal on the matter.

He says issuing fines is unnecessary and will hurt businesses that have already struggled enough without imposing further burdens and pointed out that cloth masks are largely ineffective, according to health officials, especially in regard to the omicron variant.

The resolution states that Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced that noncompliant businesses could be subject to both civil and criminal penalties with a maximum fine of $1,000 per violation.

“St. Lawrence County Public Health Department has been and continues to work tirelessly to educate and vaccinate the residents of St. Lawrence County, and lacks the time and resources to police businesses, nor do they need the added burden of a regulation that is almost impossible to enforce,” the resolution says.

The resolution says that the global pandemic has led to massive disruptions in life and in business and “COVID-19 fatigue is setting in for many businesses as they face tough operation obstacles including difficulty in finding workers and inflation for goods that all add to long-term challenges for many business owners, and they do not need the threat of penalties at this time.”

The resolution says the main focus of the health department should be to continue to educate the citizens of St. Lawrence County that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.