De Blasio urged vaccinated New Yorkers to wear masks

New York is seeing a skyrocketing rise in coronavirus cases, with more than 1200 a day, about six times the June average. Over the course of several weeks, the City has been monitoring growth and considering whether a general mask order similar to those introduced in other major cities such as Los Angeles and Washington might be required. Now a decision on this issue has finally been made. New York Times.

Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped the mask requirement on 2 July. Instead, he decided to urge all New Yorkers, even those vaccinated, to wear masks indoors.

The mayor said he would like to focus on increasing the number of vaccinations, and is concerned that due to the requirement to wear masks, everyone considering vaccinations will lose the incentive to do so.

With the recent rise in cases of the virus, New York is now subject to new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They recommend wearing masks in highly contaminated areas.

You need to act quickly

The mayor agrees with the CDC's directives, but noted that he supports the leaders of New Jersey and Connecticut. They also encourage the use of indoor masks, but do not require it.

“We strongly encourage people to wear masks indoors, even if you are vaccinated,” de Blasio said.

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The fragile economic recovery of the metropolis may be a factor influencing the decision of the city authorities. A broader mask order may prompt employers to reconsider their plans to return workers to offices after Labor Day. And also raise doubts about large events such as weddings. In addition, de Blasio admitted that it can also be difficult to follow up on the execution of the order.

Some elected officials have called on the mayor to act more aggressively and introduce a mask requirement to prevent a third wave of infections.

“One of the lessons of the last year and a half is that you need to act quickly. Otherwise, you will have to make much more difficult choices in the future, ”said Mark Levin, city councilor who chairs the health committee. "I think it's a huge mistake to put it off further."

Los Angeles introduced a new masking order last month. Washington began demanding mandatory masks last weekend. Atlanta and Kansas City have also introduced such requirements. The mayor of Chicago is considering such an option, but has not yet made a decision.

De Blasio said he wants to focus on vaccinations and is considering measures requiring vaccinations or a negative test for going to restaurants or movie theaters.

He believes New Yorkers will be interested in getting vaccinated if they believe they will have more freedom afterwards. For example, the ability to live without masks.

“We are still considering the fact that vaccination can give you different opportunities and rights than unvaccinated people,” says de Blasio.

The situation in other states

Many Republican governors oppose the requirement to wear masks. Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order barring local governments in the state from imposing mandatory vaccination or mask requirements. Thus, he strengthened an earlier order that prohibited local officials from requiring the wearing of face masks.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week signed an executive order giving parents the power to decide whether their children should wear masks in schools.

“There will be no restrictions in Florida,” DeSantis said. - Schools will not be closed. There will be no restrictions and orders. "

Federal guidelines urge students, teachers, and parents to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status.