“You don’t have the right to expose a store owner to the virus,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo said there needs to be more communication and education on the availability and importance of testing, healthcare, PPE and social distancing.

“We’re giving the store owners the right to say, ‘If you’re not wearing a mask, you can’t come in.’” Cuomo said at his daily briefing. “That store owner has a right to protect themselves. That store owner has a right to protect the other patrons in that store.”

Locally, stores like Wegmans started requiring masks to be worn at their locations back in April. However, the store also hasn’t denied customers entry into its locations for not wearing a face-covering.

Previously, the governor signed an executive order in April requiring all New Yorkers to wear a mask in public spaces where social distancing cannot be maintained.

Cuomo said his new order will reduce conflicts between shop owners and customers who refuse to cover their faces.

The immediate effect of the order is unclear. Many stores already require patrons to wear masks.

Meanwhile, for the fourth day in a row, daily coronavirus deaths in New York have remained below 100. Cuomo said another 74 people in the state died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, which is flat.

The governor said new hospitalizations are down, as are new positive cases of the virus.