WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MAY 20, 2021 3
New York adopts new CDC mask guidelines
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
AND MARK HALLUM
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Fully vaccinated New Yorkers are
able to do most anything in New
York state without wearing a
mask as of Wednesday, May 19.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced
on May 17 that the state
would begin following the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s
new guidance on mask-wearing
amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That
change coincides with the regional
reopening of the New York City area
that same day.
“We’re also going to follow the CDC
guidelines that you will still need to
wear a mask on public transportation
the subways the buses nursing
homes, homeless shelters correctional
facilities, schools and health
care facilities,” Cuomo said. “The
CDC guidance is all up on the website.
… Individual private venues still
have the ability to add additional
guidelines to the state guidelines
and the CDC guidelines, but for
our part, we’re adopting the CDC
and we’re saying, let’s open. This
comes at a good time for New York,
because we had already said we were
going to do our major reopening this
Wednesday.”
On May 13, the CDC recommended
that individuals who are fully vaccinated
against COVID-19 can walk
outside without masks and go maskless
in most indoor settings. The
agency still advises wearing masks
in confined areas such as planes,
trains, buses, and in large public
venues such as hospitals and doctor’s
offices.
“Part of that is common sense the
people who are most eager to get
to get a vaccine came in and got it.
And now we’re getting towards a
percentage of the population that’s
not that eager to get the vaccine
and then you have a subgroup that
is just reluctant and hesitant to get
it,” Cuomo added. “We started a new
program, because these are times
to be creative and do things you’ve
never done before.”
Under the revised mask order
for New York state, Cuomo said that
any unvaccinated or immunocompromised
New Yorkers who haven’t
received the vaccine will still be required
to wear masks and practice
social distancing.
Making the announcement at Radio
City Music Hall, Cuomo said it
was just one of many venues, including
Pier 76 where the Tribeca Film
Festival will be held this year, that
will only admit vaccinated people to
fill seats at 100 percent capacity.
In order to access events, New
Yorkers can present their vaccination
card or an Excelsior Pass,
which provides digital proof of
inoculation against COVID-19. The
Excelsior Pass can be obtained from
the stateand displayed on a smartphone
devise through an app.
This policy reflects the policies in
neighboring states, New Jersey and
Connecticut, and comes as New York
reaches a statewide vaccination
rate of 52 percent, according to the
Cuomo administration.
Vaccinated New Yorkers do not need to wear masks — with some
exceptions — as of May 19. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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