By
Ari Ephraim Feldman
New York City
PUBLISHED 7:00 PM ET May. 18, 2021
PUBLISHED 7:00 PM EDT May. 18, 2021
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In New York City, life appears to be headed back to normal. Sidewalks are filling up with maskless pedestrians, restaurants are expanding indoor dining and stadiums can now seat whole sections at full capacity with vaccinated fans.
Many changes are going into effect May 19, under planned rule changes put forth by Gov. Andrew Cuomo shortly after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his plan to fully reopen the city on July 1.
In the space of a few weeks, new federal mask-wearing guidance and state reopening plans have led to dramatically loosened restrictions on public life in the pandemic. The changes have drawn criticism for being overly ambitious and permissive, and have left many New Yorkers unsure of how cautious they should be in different settings.