NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – New York state begins adopting the CDC’s new guidance on mask wearing and social distancing for fully vaccinated people on Wednesday.
The new guidance means vaccinated people won’t have to wear masks or social distance outside or inside in most circumstances. Masks will still be required in some settings, including schools, mass transit, health care facilities, nursing homes and homeless shelters.
"Today is a milestone in New York State's war against COVID," Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated. "New York is coming back, and it's a testament to the strength and grit of New Yorkers who banded together, stayed tough, and fought as one to defeat this COVID beast."
The lifting of the mask mandate comes as the statewide positivity rate drops to 1%, the lowest since October 10.
The statewide 7-day average positivity rate also went down to 1.06% — the lowest since Sept. 27. Hospitalizations, ICU patients and intubations also dropped to their lowest levels since November.
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"The steps we're taking today don't mean that COVID has been officially relegated to the history books," the governor added. "We need to stay vigilant, continue to follow the safety guidelines in place, and help every single eligible New Yorker get vaccinated, so that we can finally reach that light at the end of the tunnel. And as we start to climb the next mountains in our path, we need to ensure that the values that got New York through this crisis -- community, discipline, strength, toughness, and love for each other -- endure."
Connecticut has also adopted the CDC’s new mask and social distancing guidance for vaccinated people, while New Jersey has not lifted its indoor mask mandate yet.
In New York, unvaccinated and immunocompromised people must continue to wear a mask and maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing, but people who have waited two weeks after completing their inoculation series no longer have to do either.
Cuomo said it’s up to businesses and venues to decide how to check someone’s vaccination status. New Yorkers can use the Excelsior Pass smartphone app to prove their vaccination status.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio said people should continue to use good judgement when it comes to wearing masks in some situations, since many people are still unvaccinated. And city health commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said he'll still have his mask on in indoor public spaces.
"While I'm fully vaccinated, I'll be keeping my mask on indoors in almost all settings," Chokshi said. "Those public health precautions that got us to where we are right now, will remain important for just a bit longer."
The mayor on Wednesday advised "when in doubt, wear the mask."
"People have shown a lot of honor and respect for each other. I think you're gonna see a lot of people continuing to be careful and cautious, a lot pf people are going to continue to wear the mask even when they don't officially need to," de Blasio said.
The mayor, who himself is fully vaccinated, said he will keep wearing his mask in any situation where he's not sure of everyone's vaccination status.
Some city officials say New York is moving too fast and want everyone to keep their masks on a little longer.
Some businesses are operating on an honor system when it comes to identifying who is vaccinated and who isn't, which City Councilman Mark Levine, the chair of the health committee, says is not workable.
"A plan that lifts the mask mandate for some people with no system to verify who's who is in effect lifting the mask mandate for everybody," Levine said.
He is urging businesses to keep requiring customers to wear masks.
"I actually think it's gonna be good for business because people will be a little less anxious," Levine said.
Public advocate Jumaane Williams agrees, arguing the current setup might lead to a stigma for people who keep a mask on.
"Why are we risking all of our progress on something as simple as telling folks to hold on for another month and keep your mask up," Williams said.
They say the right time to list the mask mandates is when New York's hardest hit neighborhoods hit a 50% vaccination rate. Some, like Canarsie and Hunts Point, are below 30%.
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Also on Wednesday, restaurants, stores, gyms and many other businesses can go back to 100% capacity in New York if they check vaccination cards or apps for proof that all patrons have been inoculated.
New Jersey is also lifting capacity limits at many places, including indoor dining, retail businesses, gyms and houses of worship.
Connecticut is ending capacity restrictions as well, as it adopts the CDC’s mask guidance.
Last week, the CDC announced that people who have completed their vaccine series can quit wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings, and also give up social distancing. The guidance still calls for masks in crowded indoor settings including buses, airplanes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
While Cuomo implemented the CDC's new guidance, the governor reportedly told the White House that a decision to lift mask mandates caused confusion and should've been coordinated with the states because the message was sensitive.
In a audio of the call with governors obtained by ABC News, Cuomo said the states had to scramble and didn't have the same uniformity of message that they've had up until now.
Cuomo noted that vaccinations, which have been on the decline, dropped further after the announcement.
The CDC director defended the move saying it was driven by science and was not intended to convince people to get vaccinated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.