Face coverings required on all people in public; many available here

by Dan McClelland

Community leaders who meet regularly as the emergency response team of the village and town have embraced with vigor the Governor's latest order that everyone in the state must carry with them a face covering and they must be put in place when greeting others or visiting shops and businesses.

Mayor Paul Maroun was very critical this week of people not following the order.

“We are supposed to have a face covering with us at all times we are outdoors and we must pull it up when we are near someone or in a business shopping.”

“In the last two days I counted 36 people here out in public and one day there were eleven people without masks and ten people the next day.”

He also said he noticed a number of backyard parties Saturday when sun and warm temperatures returned and said they shouldn't be happening.

Although there is no teeth in the Governor's mask order in terms of fines and penalties, there could be soon if people don't follow this order, he warns.

He said he has received several complaints about the Stewart's Shop in Tupper Lake which he said is “so often jammed with people doing business, customers can't stay six feet from each other. He said he found that out personally in recent days.

The mayor contacted Stewart's officials in Saratoga and asked them to consider two things: either require everyone entering the store here to wear some type of face covering or limiting the number of customers at any one time to half the legal capacity.

He said a good example to follow is the practice at Aubuchon Hardware store on Lake Street where the number of customers at any one time is limited to one or two, based on the number of store employees present inside.

He said the emergency committee which is comprised of a handful of community leaders under the direction of Emergency Coordinator Carl Steffen, is considering its own order requiring mandatory face covering with penalties for violators.

“If people aren't going to follow the law, we'll enforce it” with tickets and fines from local police and code officers.

“We're not trying to be mean, but Patti (town supervisor Patti Littlefield) and I are serious. We want to protect our community!”

If people don't have masks or face coverings, there are plenty available at the village office, he asserts.

“We have enough masks for everyone in Tupper Lake!”

He said the village recently received a shipment of 1,500 mask from the state. Cheryl Vaillancourt and her two daughters have already made 1,000 for public distribution. The Tupper Lake Lions Club recently ordered 150 masks and they have gone into the new public supply.

“So we have all kinds of masks and there's no excuse for people here not wearing them!”