Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New York State will adopt the new guidance set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) on mask use for fully vaccinated people. See ALG’s recent blog here. 

The guidance provides that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask outdoors, except in certain crowded settings and venues. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 2 weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series or 2 weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine. As per the CDC, fully vaccinated people now can:

• Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Visit with unvaccinated people (including children) from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues
• Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
• Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
• Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
• Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
• Refrain from routine screening testing if asymptomatic and feasible

The guidance recommends that masks should still be worn indoors and should still be worn by people who are not fully vaccinated. The New York State legislature will adopt the new guidance, effective immediately.