ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state of emergency declared in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic will expire Thursday and will not be renewed.
#BREAKING: New York’s COVID-19 State of Emergency will end tomorrow.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 23, 2021
Fighting COVID & vaccinating New Yorkers are still top priorities, but the emergency chapter of this fight is over. All thanks to New Yorkers who were #NewYorkTough.
"The emergency is over. The state of emergency that I had declared in consultation with commissioner Zucker, a health emergency, it expires tomorrow. It will not be renewed, it will punctuate the expiration of the emergency that we have been in because New Yorkers rallied and essential workers rallied," Cuomo said during a Wednesday briefing.
Cuomo said since March 2020 a variety of actions were taken by executive order to assist in the response to the pandemic and although the state of emergency will expire, CDC guidance remains in place.
"Federal CDC guidance will remain in effect, which includes masks for unvaccinated individuals, as well as all 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," a release from the governor's office says.
New York State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt (R - 62nd District) released the following statement Wednesday:
Today’s news that the New York governor’s emergency executive powers will finally be lifted is long overdue news. The progress we’ve made wouldn’t have been possible without thousands of frontline workers, business owners and everyday New Yorkers who sacrificed so much over the past year.
Now it is time for us to turn our undivided attention to the economic recovery and the rising crime wave devastating major metro areas all across the state. As elected officials, we must lead by example. Government officials should finally resume normal operations including making themselves available to the public and press.
We must do better to restore trust in our government, and that begins by making ourselves more accessible and accountable as state leaders.
