CDC mask guidance leaves businesses waiting for direction from the state

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- Businesses are waiting for guidance from the state before lifting mask requirements inside.

Stone Age Climbing Gym has taken the threat of COVID-19 seriously from the beginning of the pandemic.

"We’ve had not one single case traced to the gym," said Bryan Pletta, owner of the gym.

Pletta invested in a new air filtration system and implemented a reservation system to monitor capacity.

Pletta said he has mixed feelings about the new CDC mask guidance, which says vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask inside.

"I think I would prefer to still require masks for a little while longer… because I think a lot of our members would be uncomfortable with people without masks," he said.

The CDC says unvaccinated people should still wear a mask indoors. Pletta said he’s not looking forward into potentially verifying which clients are vaccinated.

"I know if we have to check cards, it’s just going to cause conflict," he said. "There’s going to be people that don’t have that cards that say they’re vaccinated. We’re just going to have that argument with them and I don’t want to have that."

The state spokesperson said health officials are reviewing the CDC guidance, and expect to modify the public health order.