State officials in New York are facing bipartisan calls to ease mask wearing rules for people who have completed their vaccination cycle for COVID-19 as recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A biparitsan group of county executives from the Hudson Valley and Long Island on Sunday in a joint statement pointed to the drop in COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths as well as more New Yorkers being vaccinated.

“New York needs to follow the science-backed guidance of the CDC," they said in the joint statement. "As we continue to see active cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropping day by day and more people receiving vaccinations, the Governor should implement the CDC’s common sense guidance. We also encourage residents who have not been vaccinated to make that a priority so efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 can be successful."

The statement was backed by a mix of Republicans and Democrats, including Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Putnam County Executive Mary Ellen Odell and Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan.

The statement came a day after Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, also backed relaxed mask wearing rules.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office last week indicated the CDC's recommendation for vaccinated people and mask wearing would be under review by health officials after the surprise announcement. The review was set to include Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.

"In New York, we have always relied on the facts and the science to guide us throughout the worst of this pandemic and in our successful reopening," Cuomo said in a statement. "We have received the newly revised guidance from the CDC regarding mask wearing and social distancing for those with vaccinations and are reviewing them in consultation with Dr. Zucker and our partners and health experts in surrounding states."

New Yorkers were first asked to begin wearing a mask in public more than a year ago in order to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The CDC last week pointed to the effectiveness of the vaccines preventing serious illness and hospitalizations in nearly all recipients, allowing people who have completed their shot sequence to no longer wear masks indoor in most settings.

There would still be exceptions to require mask wearing in hospitals as well as on public transportation.

Businesses on Friday were concerned the mask messaging could lead to confusion for customers as state mask rules remained in place.

"Restaurant owners don't want to get involved in the politics of mask-wearing," said Jason Pierce, the president of the Albany Restaurant Association. "They simply want to follow all of the rules and they want to accommodate every guest as they possibly can."