NYC May Be Ready to Lift Mask Mandates in June

   Mayor Bill de Blasio has hinted that mask rules might be over by June in New York City.

     In June, by which time Mayor de Blasio has set a goal to vaccinate 5 million New Yorkers, he said, "We'll be able to reassess."

     "If you want to get rid of the masks, if you want to get rid of the social distancing, if you want to get rid of the restrictions: go get vaccinated," the mayor said. "We're going to have to keep mask restrictions in place until we're 100% sure we're out of the woods, and the best way to know we're out of the woods is to see those vaccination numbers go up and up and up.”

    Yesterday Mayor de Blasio called the progression of the COVID positivity rate, “a nice, steady downward line,” and this morning Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this morning that the state’s COVID positivity rate stood at 2.05%, which is the lowest it has been since Nov. 5, 2020.

      As New Yorkers consider when they will wear masks going forward, physicians are recommending that people continue to carry masks with them, “in case they become necessary.”

      Asha Shah, MD, the associate director of infectious diseases at Stamford Health in Connecticut, echoed the guidance of the US Centers for Disease Control, which recently said that masks may not be necessary outdoors, as long people stay six feet away from others.

      But if you are running errands, going into a business, or going grocery shopping, for example, Dr. Shah told NBC News, “Those are important times to continue masking, regardless of your vaccination status.”