To mask or not to mask?

That is the question many businesses and even customers are asking.

The state’s new guidelines allowing for fully vaccinated New Yorkers to keep their mask off indoors went into effect Wednesday, but businesses still have the final say.  

Dominick Purnomo, who owns Yono’s restaurant in Albany, said staff will still be required to keep their mask on, but fully vaccinated customers can take their mask off.  

“I think there is a general sigh of relief,” Purnomo said. “But I think there's a lot of confusion. I think people are still trying to figure out their way, what are people comfortable with, what is the consumer confidence. And I think there's still a lot to be decided.”

The state has decided to leave it up to businesses whether they want to check someone’s COVID-19 vaccine card or passport to ensure that unmasked customers are fully vaccinated.

Purnomo said they will be using the honor system.

After a year of being the COVID-19 enforcers, there is little appetite to continue that trend.

“We've had to police our guests for the last 11 months now since restaurants reopened and that's not something we want to do,” Purnomo explained. “It's antithetical to hospitality to have to push people out the door at 10:00, to have to ask people to put their masks on. The onus has been on us, so I'm happy to see that now the onus is on the guests in the community to sort of self-police. I think we're all adults and I think we're all capable of that.”

Masks are still required on public transit, in schools and health care settings.

Businesses like Walmart, Target, Price Chopper, Wegmans, Starbucks and Home Depot have decided they will not be requiring fully vaccinated New Yorkers to wear a mask in their stores.

When it comes to the New York State Capitol, lawmakers in both the Senate and Assembly will still be required to wear their masks while inside each chamber.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that capacity restrictions for the Assembly chamber will be lifted, while the Senate will now allow for 12 lawmakers instead of three inside Senate chambers.

However, Senate and Assembly majority leaders did not issue guidance on how masks should be worn until the afternoon on Wednesday, the same day these new regulations went into effect. And the Office of General Services, as of Wednesday night, never issued new guidance on how masks should be worn inside the State Capitol.

A few Republican lawmakers criticized the confusion surrounding the entire state mask guidance and voiced frustration over some people having to show proof of vaccination.

“It’s not fair to make small business owners the frontline enforcers for the governor,” Assemblyman Kevin Byrne said during a press conference.

“I think we still have a right to privacy in New York State,”state Sen. George Borrello said. “I am not going to discuss my personal medical history, but I think we are all going to follow the rules.”

Capacity restrictions were also lifted for bars, restaurants and offices Wednesday.