3:40 Wednesday marks the easing of many COVID-19 restrictions in New York, but at the State Capitol in Albany many of those rules, including mandatory masks in some circumstances, remain in place. On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the state would comply with new CDC rules that say fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks outdoors or indoors, or practice social distancing. Cuomo also eased many rules on gatherings indoors and outdoors and lifted capacity restrictions for restaurants, stores, gyms and offices, as long as six feet of social distancing can be maintained. “We are at a point now where we are going to take major step forward in reopening,” Cuomo said on May 3.