Cuomo: Many in New York Must Continue to Follow Many COVID Rules

Despite Gov. Cuomo ending New York's COVID state emergency, many New Yorkers are told to still follow COVID rules.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York will end the state disaster emergency declared on March 7, 2020 to fight COVID-19.

Given New York's dramatic progress against COVID-19, with the success in vaccination rates, and declining hospitalization and positivity statewide the state of emergency will expire after Thursday, Cuomo announced.

Stay Informed: CDC Website About Coronavirus

"New York went from one of the worst infection rates to the lowest infection rate in the country, and it was all because of the efforts of New Yorkers who were smart, united and did what they needed to do throughout this entire pandemic," Cuomo said. "Now we're starting to write a new chapter for a post-COVID New York--the state disaster emergency is ending and we can focus on reimaging, rebuilding and renewing our state."

Cuomo, who has shown COVID stats at his news briefings since March 2020, did not talk about percentages on Wednesday saying it's finally time to move forward. However, he said rules for any New Yorker who isn't vaccinated against COVID remain in effect.

Federal CDC guidance for unvaccinated people will remain in effect, which includes masks for unvaccinated individuals, Cuomo announced.

"This doesn't mean COVID is gone, we still have to get more New Yorkers vaccinated, but we are getting back on track and starting to live life once again," Cuomo added.

Federal CDC guidance will also remain in effect for riders on public transit and in certain settings, such as health care, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters. State and local government health departments will still be able to ensure mask rules and other health precautions are adhered to in those settings, officials say.

As of Wednesday, 71.2 percent of New Yorkers age 18 and older have at least one vaccine dose. 63.5 percent of New York adults have completed their vaccine series.

Keep Scrolling:

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

LOOK: Here is the richest town in each state

Just saying the names of these towns immediately conjures up images of grand mansions, luxury cars, and ritzy restaurants. Read on to see which town in your home state took the title of the richest location and which place had the highest median income in the country. Who knows—your hometown might even be on this list.

Filed Under: Coronavirus in New York

Categories: WNY News