Buffalo, NY (WBEN) State Senator Sean Ryan says while New York is waiting to hear from Governor Cuomo on loosening mask restrictions, he is confident new guidance will come from Albany in the coming days.
Ryan says the news from the CDC is great. "I was out last night on Elmwood Avenue, and people were so happy to hear that news," says Ryan. "That means you can go to the mall without a mask on, a restaurant and a theater without a mask on. This shows you we're coming out of the pandemic." Ryan says 60 percent of county residents have at least one dose of the vaccine and "health freedom" is on the horizon.
"In New York, we have always relied on the facts and the science to guide us throughout the worst of this pandemic and in our successful reopening," Governor Cuomo said Thursday after the CDC updated its mask mandate. "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."
Ryan says it's a recommendation from the CDC, and it's up to states, but "I'm pretty confident within a few days, our state health commissioner will review the recommendations and make more and new recommendations for New York residents," says Ryan. Governor Cuomo said Thursday the state will review the recommendations before any implementation is announced.
Ryan says last week, no one thought loosening mask restrictions would be on the horizon. "They thought we would have more months of mask wearing, but the new results of data coming out is very optimistic," says Ryan. He says people are getting the vaccinations heading into the summer. "I, for one, am super happy to not have to wear the mask," says Ryan.
