New York won’t require masks or social distancing for fully vaccinated people starting Wednesday

The announcement from Cuomo comes on the heels of new CDC guidance released last week that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances. The updated guidance also says people still need to wear masks if they’re unvaccinated, including people younger than 12. In turn, many states have sought to begin reopening as more people are vaccinated.

Last week California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an effective end to the state’s mask mandate when California fully reopens next month, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that her state — which recently battled a surge in coronavirus cases — would lift its mask requirement for fully vaccinated people over the weekend.

Cuomo said Monday that 52% of adult New Yorkers are now fully vaccinated, adding that the statewide positivity rate is 1.26% and there are 1,581 Covid-19 hospitalizations statewide. New York recorded 11 fatalities related to the virus Sunday, the lowest single-day count since October 30, he said.

New York venues expand in-person event capacity

“The whole point of this CDC’s change, the whole point of our change, is to say to people, there are benefits to being vaccinated,” Cuomo told reporters.

James Dolan, the CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., said the venue will “favor the vaccinated” for events like the upcoming New York Knicks games. Dolan said the organization has not yet sorted out vaccination verification for venue entry.

Cuomo told reporters he’s encouraging private venues to permit more capacity for vaccinated people over unvaccinated attendees.

“Private venues, I encourage them to have a high percentage available for vaccinated people,” he said. “Radio City is going to be 100%, I encourage that, because that’s an incentive to get vaccinated.”

The film festival will host in-person events throughout New York City in June, Cuomo announced. It will be the first in-person festival to take place in North America since the pandemic, Tribeca Film Festival cofounder Jane Rosenthal said at the news conference.

The New York City Marathon is scheduled for November 7 with 33,000 runners, which is 60% of capacity, the governor announced, noting that race capacity and safety protocols could change before the event depending on the pandemic status.