BUFFALO (WBEN) - The United States hit a positive milestone in the course of the pandemic Tuesday when the CDC revised its masking guidelines to say fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear a mask outside unless they are in a big crowd.
"This is very symbolic and really feels like a reward for not only that the numbers are starting to go down...but for behaviors that everyone has been doing for so long now," said Dr. Joseph Chow, the regional medical director for WNY Immediate Care.
President Joe Biden made himself quite clear about the stipulations of the updated guidance, however, noting that these guidelines only apply to fully vaccinated Americans who are not attending large gatherings such as concerts or sporting events.
Dr. James Hereth joined Tom Bauerle live Tuesday afternoon, and he discussed the implications of that qualifier and how it shows that we're still not where we need to be in terms of total vaccinations.
"Hopefully, we get enough people vaccinated so that the prevalence of the virus in the community is so low that we don't need masks to protect our fellow people outside," said Hereth.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz both commented on the updated CDC guidance - both saying it will be adopted.
"The CDC recommendation, which we think is a fair one and one we're recommending as well, saying if you're with individuals that have been fully vaccinated, even if they're from multiple households, you get to take your masks off - that makes sense," said Poloncarz. "I would certainly hope that would give further incentive for individuals to go and get vaccinated."
Biden also said Tuesday that he'll make an announcement next week on the ways they're planning to deal with the pandemic up until July 4th. Chow believes we may see more minor, albeit positive milestones in the coming weeks and months.
"I doubt there's going to be some sweeping 'everyone can go back normal' - nothing that's so abrupt," Chow began. "I do think it's going to be incremental...I think there's going to be a lot of 'if you are vaccinated, dot dot dot,' much like we're seeing right now with the masking outdoors, so I think we're going to see a lot of those two together."
