By GREGORY ZELLER //
Who was that masked man?
The familiar question, first made famous by the “Lone Ranger” radio and television serials of the early 20th century, took on a drastically different significance over the last 18 months, as the COVID-19 pandemic covered the globe and protective masks covered our faces.
Now it’s pivoting again, here in New York and elsewhere. On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State – following guidelines issued last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – will lift mask and social-distancing guidelines for fully vaccinated adults, beginning Wednesday.
Immunocompromised and unvaccinated adults should continue to wear protective masks and keep their social distance, according to recommendations from the New York State Department of Health. But with better than 52 percent of statewide adults now fully vaccinated – including more than 1 million Long Islanders – and the Empire State posting its lowest seven-day positivity rate (measuring positive returns on administered COVID tests) since September, the time is right to enact the CDC’s new guidelines, according to the governor.
“New Yorkers have worked hard over the last year to prevent the spread of COVID and keep each other safe,” Cuomo said Monday. “That work has paid off and we are ecstatic to take this next step in the reopening of our beautiful state.”
Take it off: But please respect citizens — and business owners — who choose to keep it on, according to Gov. Cuomo.
While the news is welcome, exactly how one proves his or her vaccination status continues to be a vexing national issue. In New York, proof can be provided through paper form (the “vaccination card” you received when you got your one-dose vaccination, or the second shot of your two-dose series); it can also be established through a digital application, such as Albany’s Excelsior Pass.
To help keep things on the level, Albany is also stepping up its vaccine-fraud investigations. New Yorkers who suspect fraud in the vaccine-distribution process can call (833) VAX-SCAM toll-free or e-mail the NYS Department of Health at STOPVAXFRAUD@health.ny.gov. Staff will route complaints to the appropriate investigative agencies “to ensure New Yorkers are not being taken advantage of as the state works to vaccinate the entire eligible population,” according to Cuomo’s office.
The governor has also announced a full slate of social and entertainment activities related to the state’s long-awaited unmasking, including the return of the Tribeca Film Festival in June and the New York City Marathon in November (with a field of 33,000 runners, down from the customary 50,000).
Packed sections at the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden will be awaiting fans of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks for this month’s NBA playoff games, while there will also be densely packed, fully vaccinated sections for baseball fans at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium (in addition to less-populated non-vaccinated sections) when capacity limits on statewide outdoor venues rises to 33 percent this week.
When the New York Islanders return home this week for games three and four of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, there will also be fully vaccinated fan sections inside the Nassau Coliseum.
With momentum moving in the right direction and all New York State-run mass-vaccination sites – including sites in Glen Head, Brentwood, Stony Brook and Southampton – remaining open to eligible New Yorkers, the governor is urging unvaccinated adults to get with the program.
“More New Yorkers continue to get vaccinated every single day … and it’s critical we do all we can to ensure that progress continues,” Cuomo said. “New Yorkers need to take advantage of these resources, get their shot and do their part in helping rebuild and restart our great state.
“There is no reason not to.”
