Lake George continues to urge visitors and business employees to mask up

Robert Blais, the village mayor says the steps they’ve taken to keep the curve flat are working, including repeating the message the mayor first shared before Memorial Day about wearing masks.

“So if you’re not going to do that, you’re not going to be welcome in Lake George,” Blais told NewsChannel 13 on May 21.

Since then, they’ve posted signs everywhere, met with the business community about safety regulations, contracted for more police coverage to encourage mask wearing and social distancing, and even hired a dedicated COVID-19 inspector who makes sure businesses are following guidelines.

“We just feel as though we have to go a little bit further than the average community because we’ve got all of these guests coming and we want them to be safe,” Blais said Thursday.

Part of the safety plan involves convincing the small percentage of guests who don’t wear masks when they’re on the streets and close to strangers.

“Some of our sidewalks are 5 feet. How do you keep 6-foot distance on a 5-foot sidewalk, you know what I mean? So, it’s the streets that are toughest,” said Dan Barusch, Lake George’s director of planning and zoning.

The mayor says there’s not much more the village and town can do.

Blais and Warren County Administrator Ryan Moore say most people are complying, but Moore wants to crack down on the handful of businesses not making their public-facing employees wear masks.

“Administratively, I can call the State Liquor Authority, I can call the Department of State. I can call any state agency that licenses these businesses and I can ask that license should be revoked and I will do that,” Moore said.