Long Beach Chamber Of Commerce Reacts To State's Mask Guidelines

LONG BEACH, NY — It's the day more than a year in the making. As of Wednesday, New York state is adhering to the CDC's latest guidelines for fully vaccinated people.

That means those who are at least two weeks since their second dose — or the one Johnson & Johnson shot — have more freedom to remove their mask.

It applies to most businesses, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

But, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce took to its Facebook to weigh in on the updated guidance for maskless customers who have proof of vaccine.

"This does not mean people can enter a business willy nilly," the Chamber of Commerce wrote.

The business group said store owners have the right to protect their more vulnerable employees or streamline operations by keeping a mask policy in place.

"It makes little sense for a deli to waste time checking for a vaccine card before selling a coffee," the Chamber of Commerce said. "This is a large and, frankly, unclear edict that has been dumped onto the already sagging shoulders of small business owners.

It asked customers to respect policies at each shop as "we try to wrap our heads around how we can possibly implement this," it wrote on the Facebook page.

The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce also referred to Shine's Bar in summing up the uncertainty, with a mask statement the bar made on Facebook:

"Consistent with CDC and state guidelines, we have no idea whether you need to wear a mask or not."