Vaccinated New Yorkers will no longer be required to wear masks or face coverings in most settings beginning Wednesday, under new state regulations that align the state with CDC guidance.
Key context: Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the updated policy during a Monday morning news conference at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. The mask requirements will end as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut lift a series of Covid-related capacity restrictions.
New York has required all people in the state to wear a mask or face covering in public since April 17, 2020. It was one of just a handful of states that had yet to align their mask policies with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance as of Monday.
What they said: “We have to get back to life and living, and we have to deal with the way New Yorkers do it. We have to do it quickly and robustly,” Cuomo said. “Effective this Wednesday we’re going to adopt the CDC’s new guidance and regulations on masks and social distancing for vaccinated people.”
Cuomo said the relaxed restrictions for vaccinated individuals seeks to encourage more New Yorkers to get immunized against Covid-19.
“Yes, there are health reasons,” he said. “But we’re opening up, and we’re opening up with more opportunities to vaccinate people. So it’s another reason to get vaccinated.”
The details: New Yorkers who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing under the new policy, the governor said. Masks and face coverings will still be required in certain settings, including on public transportation and in nursing homes, homeless shelters, schools, health facilities and correctional facilities.
Private businesses can still implement additional guidelines on top of the new state and CDC rules.
Reopening news: Cuomo also announced that the New York City Marathon will take place Nov. 7 at 60 percent capacity. The Tribeca Film Festival will also reopen June 9 and will close on June 19 with a performance at Radio City Music Hall that will be at full capacity with vaccinated individuals.
Background: The CDC said last week that fully vaccinated Americans can now gather with other individuals without masks indoors and outdoors. Cuomo said at the time that New York was reviewing the “newly revised guidance” in consultation with health experts in surrounding states.
