Vaccinated NYC Govt. Workers Can Go Maskless, Mayor Says

New York City NY

29 June, 2021

11:59 AM

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NEW YORK CITY — Office life for New York City's government workers is about to get closer to pre-coronavirus normal, so long as they're vaccinated. Mayor Bill de Blasio said city workers vaccinated against COVID-19 can go maskless and avoid social distancing restrictions in governments offices starting Tuesday. Unvaccinated workers and those who interact with the public still will have to wear masks, he said. City agencies must implement the change by July 6, he said. "By September, we'd like to see everyone in our offices, back to normal," he said. "Now, that's going to be, of course, following CDC and state guidance and we expect that to keep evolving. But we think we're on that track right now, that people will be back in their offices basically as they were before the pandemic." New York City's government is loosening remaining COVID-19 restrictions for city workers, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. (NYC Mayor's Office) The announcement's timing comes amid rising fears of the Delta variant across the country. The variant is more contagious and more dangerous for unvaccinated people, and city health officials have urged New Yorkers to get their shots for protection against it. Other large urban areas in the country — such as Los Angeles County — are encouraging public mask use to fight against the variant, as New York Times reporter Dana Rubinstein pointed out to de Blasio during his daily briefing. De Blasio responded that the city's coronavirus indicators — which showed 0.57 percent coronavirus positivity as of Tuesday — show vaccinations are working in the city. "The bottom line is we will make adjustments when we see real consistent evidence," he said. "But, so far, the data is telling us, in fact, things keep moving the right direction." "Overwhelmingly, the vaccine works against the Delta variant," said Mitchell Katz, the head of the city's Health + Hospitals system. "And so people can keep their masks off if they've been fully vaccinated and I have confidence that that will keep them protected."