Governor Cuomo has announced that starting tomorrow, May 19, New York will adopt the CDC mask guidance: fully vaccinated New Yorkers will be able to go without a mask in most locations. Masks will still be required for schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and healthcare settings. For New Yorkers that are not vaccinated, the mask mandate will remain in place. New York will also allow businesses the option to still require all individuals to wear masks in indoor settings.
The Governor also announced that most business capacity limits will be removed as of tomorrow. However, businesses will still be required to maintain the required social distancing rules unless all patrons in an establishment present proof of full vaccination. A business can delineate different areas for vaccinated individuals and non-vaccinated individuals to allow for different social distancing requirements.
More guidance is anticipated to be released over the next few days. Please check https://forward.ny.gov/ for the latest industry specific guidance.
We will continue to share any additional information of importance as it is released. If you have additional questions about this update, please reach out to a member of our Government Affairs practice group for assistance: