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The data have shown that restaurants can operate safely and in accordance with strict health protocols at 75% capacity. New York City restaurant capacity will remain at 35% capacity.
“Over time, we can get what we think is a pretty good trend estimate for what’s going on.”
State officials insisted Thursday that the edits were made because of concerns about accuracy, not to protect Cuomo’s reputation.
The action comes as Cuomo is embroiled in scandals over his nursing home policies during the coronavirus and allegations that he sexually harassed former staffers.
State officials say there’s a need to ensure equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Movie theaters in New York City are reopening after nearly a year. And the decisions has consequences for the entire globaly output of Hollywood.
While COVID-19 has greatly affected the economy, it was already in flux before the pandemic hit.
Under this latest plan, educators and staff will not be moved into Phase 1a, which would make them eligible for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Black Americans with addiction face “pervasive and continuing systemic racism” and often struggle to gain access to treatments that prevent fatal overdoses.
Over three million people have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in New York, according to the state, which is now administering more than 100,000 shots per day.
“These temporary emergency powers were granted as New York was devastated by a virus we knew nothing about. Now it is time for our government to return to regular order.”
Restaurant and bar owners have pressured state lawmakers for months to give their struggling businesses more help.
“It will help protect our most vulnerable clients who rely on the staff and volunteers to provide them with nutritious food and critical services.”
Currently, about 30 percent of Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools, which serve half the total student population, are learning entirely remotely.
After one year of pandemic, over 38,000 New Yorkers have died of the virus so far and more than one and a half million were sickened.
The policy at group homes has been to require those facilities to admit residents discharged from the hospital regardless of their COVID-19 status.
“We had time to prepare for this and that’s why everybody’s frustrated. It didn’t have to be this chaotic and it didn’t have to be this unorganized.”
Caregivers react to a update of state restrictions that will allow visitations in long-term care facilities.
Cuomo’s job approval ratings, which were high in the summer and fall of 2020, have now dropped back to pre-pandemic levels, with 49% saying that he’s doing a good job in office.
Visitors to nursing homes will continue to be banned in counties where the virus rate is 10% or higher, or in any facility where someone has contracted COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
Health systems believed they were following state orders when they used vaccines that were supposed to be set aside for people awaiting their second doses.
“For generations, our teachers, guidance counselors, nurses, students, and school staff have been sent into buildings where they can get brain damage because of chipped paint, or cancer because of asbestos.”
“If you change the six-foot rule and it was only three feet with distancing, or four feet, we could bring back more in-person learning, because of the physical space.”
The legislature gave Cuomo the powers nearly a year ago, in early March of 2020. But now, many say, it’s time to end them.
Arcades and other indoor family entertainment centers can open with 25% capacity starting March 26.
“This is a very big and aggressive effort to address vaccine hesitancy in the Black community.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said Amazon refused to obey coronavirus guidelines that would protect its warehouse employees from infection.
“What if they have some type of reaction while they’re in Binghamton or driving home, or if it’s a resident in our community who has no access to transportation?”
True allergic reactions to vaccinations are extremely rare, but two New York women did experience this after receiving their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Allergists were able to safely administer their second vaccine doses by following a special procedure.
“Thousands of restaurants throughout New York state will close if we don’t get them some immediate relief.”
In a rare concession, Cuomo said the state was wrong to stonewall lawmakers and members of the media on that data, saying it created a void for disinformation and “conspiracy theories.”
Chinatown has faced both a spike in anti-Asian violence during the pandemic and mounting economic challenges. One of those challenges is the smaller celebrations for the 15-day Lunar New Year festival which began last Friday and usually brings lots of visitors and revenue.
“With the holiday surge now in our rear-view mirror, we must keep taking steps to further re-open the economy safely and responsibly.”
“Even just the appearance of being not being forthcoming with information is a liability in this case, and honestly I don’t understand why.”
Social media networks and online research skills give some younger people an edge, even as older people overall face higher risk of hospitalization and death.
“Crucial information should never be withheld from entities that are empowered to pursue oversight. This was always about getting the truth and allowing information to guide our response.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio spent the better part of three hours on Thursday morning asking state lawmakers to empower localities to fight the pandemic and distribute vaccines, and raise taxes on ultra-wealthy New Yorkers.
“If you look at the data, the whole issue of vaccine, equity… the vaccine isn’t at this point, really, getting to the most vulnerable in an equitable fashion.”
“Everyone should take it when it’s their turn, because that’s how we get everyone back to work and see our families and friends safely together.”
The funds would allow schools to upgrade things like HVAC and ventilation systems. It would also offer funds to help expand access to reliable, high-speed broadband, in districts that can’t afford it.
“If there’s things need to be codified in law, mandated in law that actually secure people’s safety and well being, that’s what we want to do.”
Cuomo, who was on a call with the Biden administration Tuesday morning, said the federal government is planning to boost the state’s vaccine supply by 5% over the next three weeks.
The numbers confirm a report by State Attorney General Tish James, who said the state undercounted nursing home hospital deaths by 50%.
They include cancer, heart conditions, COPD, chronic kidney disease, Type 1 and 2 diabetes, moderate to severe asthma, and people with intellectual and development disabilities, organ transplant recipients, and people who are morbidly obese.
“We used to have 10-17 people in a class and now we still struggle to get 6-8 people in each class.”
Only county health departments will administer vaccines for those with underlying conditions, they won’t be available at several large state run sites.
“We are opposed to a one-shot federal fund replacing needed state dollars for schools.”
The December stimulus from Washington D.C. included about $1.3 billion in housing assistance for New York, with the bulk of the money left to the state to distribute.
The attorney general’s report, released on January 28, found that the health department was undercounting the number of nursing home residents who died by 50%.
“This is the future that you’re seeing, in how packages are going to be delivered both business to business and have packages going from businesses to consumers.”
“You have to know where you went wrong in order to correct things.”
The latest government figures show a net loss of 140,000 jobs in December. What may be surprising is that all those jobs were held by women, especially women of color.
“We have to recognize the very long history of injustice and misuse that really sets the context for why community members feel the way that they do.”
A state probe last week found that Zucker could have underreported these deaths by up to 50%.
The steepest decline in sales tax collections happened during the peak of the pandemic, when sales tax collections dropped by about 27% statewide.
New Yorkers who have appointments at centers that closed because of the storm will receive new appointments by email or text.
“There’s a lot of ways that scammers can use this information.”
“The declination rate among blacks in hospital settings where they are hospital workers, is much, much higher than it is among whites or Latinos or Asians.”
If you’re lucky enough to get engaged over a COVID-era dinner date, you’ll be able to get married as early as March 15.
“I believe everybody did the best they could. I believe the state department of health, they gave their best guidance and made the best decisions on the facts that they had.”
The state will be launching a new advertising campaign targeted at communities of color with the intention of boosting vaccine recipients among those populations.
The pandemic has left many Americans craving safe social interaction. For one group of New Yorkers, outdoor Zumba classes bring a little joy.
“Clearly, some facilities were not prepared to handle outbreaks through early and effective training or staffing.”
Residential gatherings will still be capped at 10 people, and certain restrictions on restaurants, like a capacity limit and 10 p.m. curfew, will also remain in effect statewide.
“Now is as good a time as any to make a plan to quit smoking. Because the last thing you’d want to see is complications from COVID-19.”
“Now, the states will know what they’re getting every week for the next three weeks, and we’re getting 16-17% more.”
“The state needs to step up and help us ensure that this industry is able to continue on and prosper. It is the lifeblood of New York state.”
Governor Cuomo said the big problem across New York now is that hospitals can’t seem to vaccinate its own workers.
The Cuomo Administration issued a controversial order on March 25th 2020, that required nursing homes to allow hospitalized residents sick with COVID re-entry into the homes.
Many senior citizens entered their golden years with more debt than previous generations, and now they’re struggling financially as they try to provide care for an ailing relative during the pandemic.
Polls have shown that vaccine skepticism is relatively high in Black communities.
The state says local health officials should consider whether there has been a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 identified in the area, and local rates of COVID-19 transmission.
“We just need to keep the arrows pointed down, but, never get cocky with COVID.”
“I kept seeing these questions over and over: How do I run for school board? How do I help candidates run for school board?””
State figures report up to half the staff in some areas of New York are refusing the vaccine. That might lead to mandated vaccinations.
“New York, and America have more to do in terms of educating the people about the vaccine and doing a campaign to encourage New Yorkers and Americans to get the vaccine.”
“We’re going to act swiftly and decisively to provide direct federal aid so state, county and local governments can save tens of thousands of vital public service jobs.”
“The federal administration essentially opened up a floodgate while cutting our supply — leading to confusion, frustration, and dashed hopes.”
The Governor’s disclaimer recommends people eligible for the vaccine directly contact their local pharmacies, doctors’ offices and hospitals.
A Kaiser Family Foundation report released last week found rural residents are among the most hesitant about vaccines.
First responders, people 75 and older, educators, and grocery store workers can now begin to schedule their vaccine appointments. But the wait to get the shot could take a while.
Republican state lawmakers were vocal in their criticisms, saying the Cuomo administration was unprepared.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, bowing to pressure from local governments, is agreeing to expand the state’s vaccination sites for front-line health care workers.
“We saw in the first big wave here in New York that the people who bore the brunt, the sacrifice and health problems, were the people who had to go to work.”
“It would be one thing if he was making split-second decisions about procurement (of medical supplies), but I think we have moved well beyond the time when that resolution was necessary.”
They said Cuomo and the state health department are not providing data that they need and are leaving them out of key meetings.
“You pull up. We verify who you are. You roll down your window. We swab you. Just a little nasal swab, not invasive. We then take that specimen with the requisition and we send it to our laboratory.”
“This is really a very important step forward in fighting COVID and in fighting any other kind of illness.’
“Our hospitals and health care systems continue to be significantly challenged.”
The governor said the man, in his 60s, works in a jewelry store, N. Fox Jewelers, in Saratoga Springs and that three other employees have also tested positive for the virus.
“It’s nowhere near where we were last year at this time. We’re sitting roughly about 70% off where we were in 2019.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said testing for COVID-19 was more readily available in richer, whiter communities in the state. He added: “This can’t happen again, and it can’t happen with this vaccine.”
Cuomo says the underperforming hospitals will face sanctions, including a fine of up to $100,000 if they don’t use up all of the vaccine they have in store by the end of the week.
A business that traditionally provided line standers for Broadway shows and other events, now serves people who don’t want to wait hours outside a health clinic.
During the week of Christmas, four staff members and 21 inmates at the Steuben County Jail tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“2021 is going to be literally what we make of it. We’re coming out of probably the most traumatic year that we’ve had in decades.”
There are currently 3,914 COVID-19 cases among inmates, parolees, and corrections officers at state prisons, while 2,156 people have recovered.
A video featuring unmasked attendees went viral last week on Twitter. On Wednesday, three individuals who were at the party were reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus.
“There will be a New Year, I can’t say that it won’t be worse, because now, I don’t know.”
“I don’t think an anti-vaxxer would have a good claim if they were fired for refusing to take a vaccine.”
“We recognize that visitation is a vital part of family reunification and therefore, we will resume it when safe to do so.
While adults can make a distinction that changes in tradition are for the greater good, kids don’t have that level of cognitive awareness.
New York state’s positivity rate for the coronavirus jumped to 8.3%, according to the latest numbers released Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
There is “universal support” overall, but some disagreement on specifics.
Hospitalization rates are steadily rising. More than 6000 New Yorkers are in the hospital with COVID-19, and more than 1000 are in intensive care.
Child care centers in Pennsylvania are facing a dark winter. With coronavirus cases surging, and government relief aid far reduced from the early days of the pandemic, providers are struggling as they navigate how to stay afloat financially while keeping the children they serve and their staffs safe.
“If we do not change the trajectory, we could very well be headed to shutdown, and shutdown is something to worry about.”
“I know how horrific it was. It was a modern day battlefield. What you do, showing up every day, you really are heroes.”
“Hopefully we will get to a place where the numbers go down and we can find a way to offer these opportunities for our student athletes and community.”
Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on the State’s COVID-19 Response and Makes an Announcement
Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled details of what he calls the “winter plan” for limiting the spread of COVID-19 in New York State.
The new public health measures come as COVID-19 cases near all-time highs and hospital intensive care units are nearing capacity.
“I believe we’re going to have to raise taxes at the end of the day, in any event, but the question is, how much in taxes?”
Cuomo says undocumented immigrants who receive a vaccine will not have to release any personal data that might trigger deportation.
U.S. employers will be able to require their employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine unless the employee has reasonable medical or religious objections.
Restaurant owners are finding Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new criteria difficult to decipher, and worry it will mean more eateries will soon be out of business.
“Overwhelming the hospital system means people die on a gurney in a hallway, and the life you could’ve saved you can’t save because you don’t have the staff, you don’t have the doctors, you don’t have the nurses.”
“Nobody’s giving us any direction. We don’t have the unemployment thing in place, we don’t have the other supports that were in place the last time they shut us down, they’re just like, ‘You gotta close.’ ”
“We know that we can’t depend upon the federal government, given the fact that we’ve been waiting for them to respond to this crisis for months now.”
“It doesn’t come near to the need. It would be a short term bill until March. I would urge them to get this first down payment bill before they leave.”
With almost 5,000 Pennsylvanians hospitalized due to COVID-19, some hospitals are out of beds.
“I would consider it shameful that our federally elected representatives have not been able to come together to provide some type of meaningful assistance.”
Retired nurses could relieve some stress and handle any holiday-related increase in cases of the coronavirus and in distributing vaccines should they become available.
Front line health care workers and nursing home residents will be among the first to receive it.
“Just like we went through with the COVID tests, they’re underserved by health care facilities and their rate of skepticism is higher. It’s going to be an extensive effort to outreach to Black, brown and poor communities.”
The state’s average test positivity rate is nearly 12%
“We are not going to live through the nightmare of overwhelmed hospitals again.”
“I didn’t want to disappoint my mother, 89 years old. She’s thinking how many Thanksgivings will I get, you start to think that way. But it’s hard. But sometimes hard is smart.”
“These numbers have kept me awake for many, many , many nights. People get infected, they go into the hospital, they go into the ICU.”
New York’s rate of the virus has been creeping up through the fall, though the state is still at a significantly lower rate than most of the nation.
Part of Manhattan, Staten Island, Rochester, Syracuse, and Long Island could face new, or stronger, restrictions if the positivity rates in those areas don’t decline in the coming days.
While the unemployment rate in the five boroughs dropped to 13.2% in October, the rate outside New York City went up from 6.6% in September to 6.9% in October.
“Let’s not do these massive shutdowns of gyms or shopping malls or restaurants. That will just crush the economy more.”
Cuomo has set a limit of 10 or fewer people at in-home gatherings. But some county sheriffs in the state have said they don’t plan to enforce those rules, saying it’s a violation of people’s privacy.
As coronavirus cases soar in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers face a looming deadline to spend $1.3 billion in federal pandemic relief that the commonwealth received in early spring, but still hasn’t used.
“We must remain steadfast in our decisions to ensure the safety of our athletes is our focus.”
“Despite our success in managing the spread, New York is not immune to this national surge of COVID.”
“We didn’t have big parties, etc. But we did have too many gatherings of too many people in ways that were not necessarily safe given the COVID situation.”
There may not be the same level of shelf-clearing seen last spring, but supermarkets, like Wegmans and Tops, continue to limit purchases of certain items.
“Let’s look at the law. There can be no more fundamental right in this moment than access to the vaccine.”
“So far we have been able to keep the budget balanced while minimizing the impact on New Yorkers and fighting the pandemic.”
Social dining, whether indoors or outdoors, is one of three “main spreaders of COVID.” He urged local authorities to enforce the new rules.
The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 also reached a new high in the latest wave of the virus, with nearly 4,000 cases reported Tuesday — the most since early May.
“We want to make sure, as our students are leaving and departing our system and campuses, they’re not carrying the virus home.”
“Why do we have such a disparity in the infection rate and the mortality rate in COVID? Because some communities don’t have the same access to health care.”
“Western New York is a problem,” Cuomo said. “They are lower than states surrounding us, but relative to New York, they are the highest spots in New York.
State officials determined that the January Regents Exams could not be safely, equitably and fairly administered across the State given where the pandemic currently stands.
“I want to be able to disagree with one another, to speak our truth. But I want to do it in a way that I don’t feel contempt or feel tempted to dehumanize the other person.”
“Why would you possibly need someone’s social security number, ID number, or passport number before they receive a vaccine? There is no legitimate health reason.”
“COVID has revealed from the very beginning the underlying injustice and inequity in this society.”
Cuomo said the plan was “deeply flawed,” and would create a bottleneck in the demand for the vaccine.
More than three-fourths of Republicans are planning to vote in person, while a majority of Democrats said they have or will cast a mail-in ballot.
Next month, all SUNY campuses must test any student who comes on campus for COVID-19.
“These inmates are being denied treatment, they are being denied access to their families.”
For the second day in a row, Cuomo fumed President Donald Trump is giving up, and as a result, 160,000 more Americans could die of the disease by February.
Hospitalizations were up to 1,023 on Thursday, according to data released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Friday. Exactly one month ago Friday, hospitalizations were at 490 in New York.
“They could have controlled the virus, we are still controlling the virus, look at the numbers going up all across the nation, we are still controlling the virus, they believed you can’t control the virus, they capitulated, they surrendered.”
“There’s new testing technology, there are rapid tests, is there a better, smarter way to handle a quarantine? None of this has been done before, so we’re figuring it out as it goes.”
“There’s the excitement of seeing her, and then the 30 minutes goes faster than you could ever imagine, and then when they wheel her away, it’s very tough.”
“It’s definitely a perfect storm with the increased need, stores starting to close, and the donations potentially being fewer, which is why we’re really extending this campaign.”
Both President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden have pointed to a COVID-19 vaccine as key to ending the pandemic.
New York will not restrict travel from Pennsylvania because of the number of people who go back and forth for business each day.
New York state recently changed health forms to better reflect transgender and non-binary people, but, public health experts say the change fails to capture the full picture.
Also unanswered, said Cuomo, is how the vaccine will be funded, and whether states will be reimbursed for costs.
“We have flare-ups because in this state we have a microscope, and the other states don’t have a microscope. If you don’t have a microscope, you don’t see a lot of things.”
“This is a larger operational undertaking, I would argue, than anything we have done during COVID to date. And we need the federal government to be a competent partner with this state and every state.”
“Seven months in now, our local health departments are short-staffed. We’re working overtime, and we’re being folded into this newest initiative without any proper support, any funding or any guidance.”
The governors want to know about funding to help pay for mass vaccinations, and how a vaccine supply chain would function.
The book, titled ‘American Crisis,’ is Cuomo’s attempt to convince readers that New York formed a competent response to the pandemic, while characterizing President Donald Trump and his administration as careless and dismissive to the virus.
“I was not only unable to see her, not even technologically through a digital device, the nursing home, when I called, was nonresponsive,”
“Because nothing else I have done has motivated them, maybe money works.”
Syracuse University officials said late Tuesday that the number of students who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last day has risen to 45. Most are associated with a off-campus parties that occurred last week.
Cuomo said he’s taking the steps because he does not want the hot spots to spread to the rest of the state.
Pennsylvania school-choice advocates are pushing hard for a measure that would send federal coronavirus relief money directly to families to put towards private school tuition, tutoring, or other educational expenses.
Facing an increase in coronavirus infections in certain neighborhoods, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that he would close all nonessential businesses, public and private schools.