New York will no longer require masks, social distancing for fully vaccinated people in most situations Wednesday

New York State is lifting its mask mandate and social distancing requirements for fully vaccinated people in most situations as of this Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

The new guidelines are in response to the CDC’s new COVID-19 guidance, which was released last week.

Earlier this month, Cuomo announced that the state would lift most capacity restrictions on businesses statewide on May 19. Today, he said the new CDC guidance came at a good time, because New York was already planning ‘a major reopening’ on Wednesday. Now it can do so with even fewer restrictions.

“This is an exciting moment. It has been a dark, dark, hellish year,” Cuomo said.

New York will still require masks in situations recommended by current CDC guidance, including on public transportation, in nursing homes homeless shelters, correctional facilities, schools and healthcare facilities.

Unvaccinated people and immunocompromised people should still wear masks and socially distance, Cuomo said.

Individual private venues and businesses may still impose their own mask requirements, he said. But the state will no longer mandate masks for fully vaccinated individuals in most public and private settings.

“We have to reopen. We have to reopen smart and with a cautious eye, but we have to get back to life and living,” Cuomo said.

More than 60% of New York State residents ages 18 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Cuomo said today, and more than half are fully vaccinated.

The test positivity rate today in New York State is 1.26%, the lowest it has been since early November. Fewer than 100 case were reported in Suffolk County for the first time yesterday since the Thanksgiving surge. There were 86 new cases reported in Suffolk today, and 1,278 across New York State.