What you should know
- New York has reached Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 70% adult partial vaccination benchmark and will be able to remove the remaining industry-specific restrictions at most businesses.
- Some rules will remain in effect for schools, healthcare, and public transportation settings in accordance with existing CDC guidelines; Cuomo has said that the CDC expects to publish an updated guide in a matter of weeks.
- Perhaps in the most symbolic sign of recovery yet, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York City will hold a parade to celebrate frontline heroes on July 7; you will march through the legendary Canyon of Heroes.
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NEW YORK – New York reached Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 70% adult vaccination milestone ahead of schedule, marking the end of the remaining pandemic trade restrictions and a chance to “come back to life as we know it.” the Democrat said Tuesday.
Standing at the One World Trade Center, a 1,776-foot-tall testimony to New York’s ability to recover from an unthinkable loss, Cuomo said “Today is the 472nd day. Today is Tuesday,” and assured that not only had It turned the page on the worst public health crisis in a century, but came out stronger.
Effective immediately, the COVID-19 restrictions imposed in the state are lifted in more than a dozen business and social sectors, including childcare, camping, foodservice, offices, real estate, entertainment, gyms and more.
That means social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, health screening protocols, disinfection, and contact tracing are removed for the following activities, although individual establishments can impose stricter standards if they choose. .
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“This is a momentous day, and we deserve it, because it has been a very, very long road,” the governor said before loud applause. “It is a day to look back and remember where we were, but it is also a day to look where we are going,” he concluded.
“If they had told us on the first day, at the beginning of COVID-19, that we would be able to do what we have done, no one would believe it,” Cuomo added. “Where are we today? We have the lowest COVID-19 positivity rate in the United States of America.”
Day to celebrate
Later he is expected to commemorate the day with a celebration.
Various reports, including an advisory from the Village of Nyack, say that Cuomo plans to announce a statewide fireworks celebration to mark the end of the COVID-19 restrictions. It’s unclear where the exhibits might be or how many there might be in total, but Nyack plans to close his Memorial Park for a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Cuomo had said earlier last week that once 70% of adult New Yorkers have received at least one dose, the remaining industry-specific guidelines on cleaning, air filtration, contact tracing, and other protocols related to pandemic would be eliminated for the majority. They will remain in place for public schools, transit, and healthcare settings, along with correctional facilities, in accordance with existing CDC guidelines.
Governor Cuomo promised to lift most of the restrictions once 70% of those vaccinated were reached.
But those standards could also change in a short time.
Even when acknowledging the progress the Empire State has made on both vaccines and fighting a new virus that has likely claimed more than 50,000 lives in New York in 15 months, Cuomo urged vigilance on Monday.
“Don’t fool yourself and don’t underestimate the enemy, ever,” said the Democrat.
New Yorkers have experienced some 180-degree pendulum swings during the course of the pandemic. But unlike last summer and early fall, when core viral rates fell from seemingly unfathomable highs only to return to alarming levels during winter break, the state now has the best weapon on its side, according to Cuomo: vaccination.
“Where we are today is a positivity rate of 0.4. Where we were in January, 7.9, almost 8%. From 8% to 0.4%. If you look across the state, it’s down statewide, COVID-19,” he said the governor on Monday. “There is a direct correlation. These are numbers, so it makes sense. The more people get vaccinated, the lower the positivity rate.”
More than 60% of all New Yorkers are fully immunized, although the rate has slowed to an excessively slow trickle in recent weeks, especially among long-time eligible adults.
Recognizing that population can be more difficult to move, both Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have focused their specific reach lately on what they perceive to be a more malleable group: 12-15 year olds. They were the last to become eligible for vaccination and have seen significant growth in dose rates in the past month, increases in part believed to be driven by a number of lucrative incentives.
Nearly 29% of New Yorkers ages 12-15 have received at least one dose, while nearly 15% are fully vaccinated. On June 8, just a week ago, the total number of vaccinations for children in that age range was just 7.7%. It only took a week to nearly double that rate, while it took the same amount of time for the percentage of partially vaccinated New York adults to rise by just 1.4%.
The next goal, Cuomo says, is to focus on the areas of the state with the lowest vaccination rates. New York City is doing the same.
Mayor de Blasio unveiled a new program Monday as part of ongoing community efforts across the five counties to reach out to the most indecisive: New York City’s Vaccine Referral Bond.
For every person that a community organization refers to receive an injection, that group receives $ 100. That person will also be eligible for the city’s weekly vaccine contests and incentives. Groups can register here starting Wednesday.
Despite fewer and fewer adults getting vaccinated, New York’s core viral metrics have plummeted to record lows. The state’s progressive positivity rate is 0.41%, among the lowest in the country, according to Johns Hopkins. It has set pandemic record lows for the past 17 days in a row and is in the middle of a 70-day stretch of decline.
Hospitalizations have dropped to 617, the lowest total since October 3. The current total marks an 86% drop in just three months and a 93% drop from the January peak. Meanwhile, the daily death toll has dropped to single digits. The seven new deaths that Cuomo reported Monday marked the lowest daily figure since Oct. 20.
Cuomo says New Yorkers are ready to get back to normal.
To celebrate that long-awaited return, De Blasio announced that New York City will hold its first in-person parade since the pandemic thwarted those of last year and some of this 2021. It will honor essential workers, healthcare personnel and the first responders who weathered the city through the pandemic. That parade, which will take place like every year in the Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan, could mark the most symbolic point of resurgence so far for a city so devastated at the beginning of the pandemic.
The national outlook has also clearly changed, even as more contagious and potentially deadly variants of COVID-19 take over other countries again.
New daily case counts in the US have fallen to their lowest point since testing became widely available, while the number of daily deaths is the lowest since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a disease. pandemic.
Nationally, 54.4% of American adults are fully vaccinated, while 64.5% have received at least one dose, according to the CDC. President Joe Biden says the White House plans to host an “Independence From Virus” party on July 4 to celebrate.
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