Thread by @MarkLevineNYC

Yes, CDC has announced that fully vax'd people can safely unmask in most indoor settings.

But requiring only unvax’d people to wear masks in stores etc would be unworkable. And it would expose workers, kids & others to risk.

NY should not yet lift the indoor mask mandate. 1/

The revised CDC guidelines are great news for those who are vaccinated, and should serve as added incentive for anyone debating whether to get the shot.

But CDC also said it is leaving it up to local governments how to change mask mandates.
2/

NYC has made enormous progress in vaccination. But still 54% of our population has not gotten even their 1st shot.

Likewise cases have dropped significantly in recent weeks, but still we are averaging over 1,000 new cases/day in NYC. 3/

Very few public venues in NYC are checking vaccine/test status. That means a rule change that allows only unvax'd people to remove their masks would have to function on the honor system. How would store staff enforce this?
4/

A crowded store, supermarket, movie theater, gym, museum etc in which many people (both vax'd and unvax'd) are unmasked would pose a risk of covid spread. This is especially unfair for workers, for the immunocompromised, for kids.
5/

There is enormous mask solidarity in NYC right now. The vast majority of NYers are wearing masks in indoor settings. Changing the rules so that some people need to wear masks and others don't would be the end of this solidarity. 6/

The time will come--maybe soon--when NYC's progress on vaccination and reducing spread mean we can make big changes to indoor mask rules.

But for now I will keep wearing my mask at the supermarket, and I hope you will too. 7/7

Update: New Jersey doing the right thing here. Let's hope NY does as well.

https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/status/1393289842642104325?s=19