New York Businesses Can Now Deny Entry to Shoppers Who Aren't Wearing Masks

An executive order signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo now gives businesses the right to deny entry to shoppers that aren't wearing a protective face mask.

"Today, I am signing an executive order that authorizes private businesses to deny entrance to people who do not wear a mask or a face covering," Cuomo said during a news briefing on Thursday.

"When we're talking about reopening stores and places of business, we're giving the storeowners the right to say, 'if you're not wearing a mask you can't come in,'" the New York governor added.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., New York has remained the virus' epicenter, with over 364,000 confirmed cases and at least 29,484 deaths, according to a tracker provided by Johns Hopkins University. Cuomo previously issued an order requiring that all citizens wear masks in public settings, but his newest order takes it a step further.

"I have been working to communicate this message about masks and how effective they are," Cuomo said. "They are deceptively effective, they are amazingly effective, and we've made them mandatory in public settings, public transportation, etc."

Cuomo added that the store owners across the state have the right to protect themselves, as well as the other patrons in the store.

"You don't want to wear a mask, fine, but you don't have a right to then go into that store if that store owner doesn't want you to," he added.

Across the U.S. there are similar orders requiring face masks when inside businesses in several other states and cities. In California, San Francisco County, Los Angeles County and San Diego County all require residents to wear a face mask when shopping at a store. Pennsylvania and Maryland have also imposed similar orders.

Cuomo's comments come as New York continues to move through its phased reopening throughout the state. On Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio held a virtual press conference and announced that the city will likely enter phase one of its reopening "in the first or second week of June."

While New York has remained the virus' epicenter, a majority of the cases and deaths stemmed from New York City, which has reported more than 200,000 cases of the novel coronavirus as of Thursday.

During his press conference, de Blasio made remarks similar to Cuomo's regarding face masks, and added that wearing them should be the norm, as well as social distancing measures.

Newsweek reached out to Cuomo's office for further comment on the executive order but did not receive a response in time for publication.