Erie County mask mandate for everyone began on Monday.

[wnylib]

4. That's about par for the course in western NY.

I am not in Erie County, but close enough that there is frequent daily travel between my city and Buffalo. We are right behind Buffalo in our infection rate, sometimes tied with them.

I just got my Moderna booster last Wednesday, but still wear an N95 and social distance when I need to go into a public place. In some stores, e g. CVS and two grocery stores where I shop, all employees and most customers wear masks. But elsewhere, nobody does.

I live in a senior complex of two multistoried apartment buildings that have a management office and maintenance staff. Very few residents here wear masks. None of the office or maintenance personnel do. Recently a maintenance guy went around all the apartments putting in new filters for our heaters. I was just about to take out some trash when he arrived at my apartment, so I already had a mask on. He did not. Anticipting that, I had already tied knots in the ear loops of a surgical mask to leave no gaps at the cheeks and handed it to him in the hallway for him to put on before entering. Considering the infection rate here and the fact that he was going from one apartment to the next, there is no way in hell that I would have let him inside without a mask.