BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his administration is reviewing new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, released Thursday, that said fully vaccinated people can largely ditch masks indoors.
"In New York, we have always relied on the facts and the science to guide us throughout the worst of this pandemic and in our successful reopening," the governor said in a statement.
"We have received the newly revised guidance from the CDC regarding mask wearing and social distancing for those with vaccinations, and are reviewing them in consultation with Dr. Zucker and our partners and health experts in surrounding states."
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz also issued a statement, saying in part: “Today’s news is further proof of the importance of getting vaccinated, and if you have not yet been vaccinated, I ask you to please consider doing so as soon as possible."
The statements followed Rose Garden remarks by President Joe Biden, who said "today is a great day for America."
Cuomo was in Buffalo on Wednesday to announce updated guidance for baseball games at Sahlen Field.
Much like the guidance for the Mets and the Yankees, fans will be welcome in the stands; however, there will be different sections for fans who are vaccinated for COVID-19 and fans who are not.
The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues, even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
“We have all longed for this moment — when we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” said Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said at an earlier White House briefing.
The CDC and the Biden administration have faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people — those who are two weeks past their last required COVID-19 vaccine dose — in part to highlight the benefits of getting the shot.