East Farmingdale, NY- New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced new measures Friday morning to help curb the spread of COVID-19, announcing that “masks will be required to be worn inside all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement”. The new requirements go into effect on Monday, December 13, 2021 and will be reevaluated on January 15, 2021.
A press release from the Governors office states that “Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 43% and hospitalizations have increased by 29%.”
Business/Venue Proof of Full-Course Vaccination Requirement
Businesses and venues who implement a proof of vaccination requirement can accept Excelsior Pass, Excelsior Pass Plus, SMART Health Cards issued outside of New York State, or a CDC Vaccination Card. In accordance with CDC’s definition of fully vaccinated, full-course vaccination is defined as 14 days past an individual’s last vaccination dose in their initial vaccine series (14 days past the second shot of a two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine; 14 days past the one-shot Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine). The State also accepts WHO-approved vaccines for these purposes. Parents and guardians can retrieve and store an Excelsior Pass and/or Excelsior Pass Plus for children or minors under legal guardianship.
Business/Venue Mask-Wearing Requirement
Businesses and venues that implement a mask requirement must ensure all patrons two years and older wear a mask at all times while indoors.
Photo: A health care worker, left, checks in a man at a NYC mobile vaccine clinic in Midtown Manhattan, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. Mayor Bill de Blasio says all New York City employers will have to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their workers by Dec. 27. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
