"We want to strongly recommend that people wear masks in indoor settings even if you're vaccinated," de Blasio said."If you don't know the people around, if you're not sure if they're vaccinated or not, or if you know some are unvaccinated, it's absolutely crucial to wear a mask even if you are vaccinated."Still, he did not require masks in all indoor settings, a step that Washington DC, Los Angeles County and some other large metro areas have taken.
The vaccines, though not 100% effective, provide substantial protection against severe illness and death.In recent weeks, the mayor has emphasized the importance of vaccinating as many people as possible and downplayed the use of masks, saying vaccines are"the whole ball game.""Masks can be helpful, we are going to delineate to New Yorkers the best way to use masks, but they don't change the basic reality. Vaccination does," he told CNN's Poppy Harlow on Friday.