NY Could Be Days Away From Lifting Most Coronavirus Restrictions

LONG ISLAND, NY — When New York reaches a rate of 70 percent of adults who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, most coronavirus restrictions will be lifted statewide, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Currently, a total of 68.6 percent of New Yorkers have received at least one dose, he added.

"We're almost there," he said. "When we hit 70 percent I feel comfortable saying we can relax virtually all restrictions."

Once that 70 percent is reached, coronavirus capacity restrictions, including social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing, will become optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barbershops and personal care services, among other commercial settings, Cuomo said.

Businesses have the right to choose to adhere to stricter protocols and the New York State Department of Health urges individuals to continue to wear masks and social distancing guidelines where it's unclear if everyone is vaccinated.

Large-scale event venues, pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and healthcare settings must continue to follow the state's COVID-19 guidelines until more New Yorkers are vaccinated, he added.

Unvaccinated individuals will still need to maintain social distancing of six feet and wear a mask, in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said.

"The lifting of our COVID restrictions is a sign of how hard New Yorkers have worked to contain the spread of the virus and protect their communities," Cuomo said. "With numbers trending at record lows, it is clear that the vaccine is effective and that it is an invaluable tool against the virus. While we have come so far it is still imperative that those who have not received the vaccine do so, so that they may enjoy the state's reimagined reopening to the fullest extent possible."

Businesses, Cuomo said, may require proof of full vaccination status through paper form, digital application, or New York's State's Excelsior Pass. Alternatively, businesses may rely upon self-reporting of vaccination status, he said.

Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to be socially distanced or wear masks but unvaccinated/unknown individuals need to maintain six feet of social distance, Cuomo said.

Cuomo said on Monday, New York's positivity rate stood at 0.66 percent, with nine deaths — and 63 straight days of decline. All regions statewide are now below 1 percent positivity for the first time, he said.

"When we hit 70 percent vaccinated, we can go back to life as normal," Cuomo said.

But, he added, the issue remains that the vaccination rate has slowed dramatically, with the lowest group of vaccinated individuals remaining kids between the ages of 12 and 17. To that end, vaccination efforts will now be focused on that age group as well as the zip codes statewide where vaccination rates are the lowest.

The vaccination focus will shift to those areas with new state-run vaccination sites opening in zip codes that need a boost; currently, the mass vaccination sites that are set up and open have few people per day showing up for shots in arms, he said.

"The world is open to the vaccinated," Cuomo said. "The day we hit 70 percent it's going to be a day to celebrate."

Cuomo estimated that number might be reached in eight days.