BUFFALO (WBEN) - "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky Thursday.
The CDC revised its mask-wearing guidelines, saying Americans who are fully vaccinated, meaning two weeks since their final shot, can now go without a mask in both indoor and outdoor settings, even in crowds.
However, a few exceptions still remain.
"We still have the requirement to wear a mask when you travel on buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, as well as airports and stations," Walensky clarified.
"I want to be clear that we followed the science here," she continued. "While this may serve as an incentive for some people to get vaccinated, that is not the purpose. Our purpose here is, as a public health agency, to follow the science and to follow where we are with regard to the science and what is safe for individuals to do."
In Pennsylvania, the Department of Health released a statement saying the CDC's guidelines will automatically go into effect. However, Governor Andrew Cuomo said it's going to take a little more time here in New York.
Cuomo's press office sent the following 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."
Dr. Tom Russo serves as the Chief of Infectious Disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine, and he hopes the updated guidance serves as an incentive for those on the fence about getting vaccinated.
"This is an important step to realize that if you're fully vaccinated, you largely can start to get back to normal and live a life that's very similar to pre-COVID," he said. "Hopefully those unvaccinated individuals, those numbers will dwindle and people realize that getting vaccinated is the ticket to getting back to normal and living that lifestyle that we'd all like to do. Wouldn't it be great if we could get rid of these masks finally?"
In Erie County, County Executive Mark Poloncarz is calling on New York State to align its guidance with that of the new CDC guidelines. Following is a statement from Poloncarz:
"Today's new CDC guidance for persons fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is great news and is further proof our local and national efforts to vaccinate all are making a huge difference in the fight against COVID-19. In Erie County, fifty-one percent of all residents aged 17 and above have been fully vaccinated, and just under fifty-one percent of all residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. While these numbers are good, it is essential that we fully vaccinate more people in our community to properly protect all from a terrible virus that has taken more than 1,800 of our neighbors. 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.
Additionally, because many of the rules and regulations regarding businesses in our state are set by the New York State Department of Health, I call on the New York State Department of Health to expeditiously review the new CDC guidance and align state policies with it."
