Eli Klein, who owns an art gallery in New York City, told CNN he does not believe the city, or the rest of the country, should be forced to return to mask mandates because it will crush the remaining small businesses who survived the first round of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Klein said the mask mandates are the first step in a slippery slope to shutting down "nonessential" businesses.
"Let's be honest, we don't know when Covid levels will ever be lower than they are now in New York City. And that could put us on a slippery slope to all kinds of the same restrictions that we were subject to last year. I mean, things like micro-cluster targeting and capacity limits and business shutdowns. It's not just the mask," Klein explained.
"I think none of us have a problem just putting on a mask. It's really much more than that. It's a blueprint for indefinite government restrictions in New York, which we've had vaccines available for everyone 12-plus for many months. And there has to be an end game. There has to be an off-ramp."
CNN host John Berman asked Klein if the news he has heard about the Delta variant of COVID-19, and how it can be easily spread, affect his thinking about mask mandates.
"No. I think it's obviously catastrophic news. And it's something that we should all take very seriously. We've been taking COVID very seriously since the beginning. And it doesn't impact my view with respect to re-implementing restrictions," Klein replied. "The fact of the matter is that these vaccines are widely available. They’re extraordinarily effective. And, you know, it’s a matter of — obviously, there's issues with personal risk tolerance and whatnot, but it doesn't change the fact that re-implementing mask mandates in New York City would stunt our recovery, would diminish tourism and many aspects of life. It would crush businesses that have already been crushed."