NY Pandemic Restrictions Lifted As Vaccination Rate Reaches 70%

LONG ISLAND, NY — Thunderous applause broke out Tuesday as Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the news that New Yorkers waited for during the long, dark days of the pandemic: The statewide vaccination rate reached 70 percent Tuesday, meaning that virtually all coronavirus restrictions were lifted in New York.

At a news briefing at One World Trade Center in New York City, Cuomo took the podium smiling. "This is a momentous day and we deserve it. It has been a long, long road," he said. "Remember June 15. It is the day New York rose again. The state mandates that have proven right and brought us through this pandemic are relaxed, as of today, immediately."

Now that 70 percent is reached, coronavirus capacity restrictions, including social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing, are 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 6 feet and wear a mask, in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said.

The governor noted Tuesday was his father Mario's birthday.

Reflecting on the days of daily COVID-19 briefings, when New York State had the highest positivity rate "on the globe," people were ambushed, Cuomo said. "We were alone and it was frightening. It was like living through a science fiction movie," with Jacob Javits a field hospital with 2,500 cots set up as far as the eye could see waiting for the "avalanche of ambulances," Cuomo said.

New York streets were deserted as residents abandoned the city in fear, Cuomo said. "We have gone through a moment that changed us as individuals and as a society — a moment of trauma and a moment that no one will ever forget or should."

On Tuesday, New York had the lowest coronavirus positivity rate in the United States, Cuomo said, coupled with the 70 percent vaccination rate, the national goal, which the state hit ahead of schedule. More than 20 million vaccinations have been administered, he said, with a larger number of adults vaccinated than any other state in the country.

"Now we can return to life as we know it," Cuomo said.

On Long Island, he said, 75 percent of residents have been vaccinated.

"It's no longer just surviving. We are no longer in our homes, afraid to go out, disinfecting everything. Life is not about survival, it's about thriving, seeing people, celebrating, enjoying, interacting — and now we get back to loving and living," Cuomo said.

The crowd rose in a standing ovation to the words.

Cuomo also gave plaques to representatives of the many groups of essential workers who forged forward through frightening times, including nurses, doctors, building workers, hospitality staff, delivery workers, teachers, corrections officers, government employees, EMTs, ambulance workers, transportation workers, and all employees on the front lines during the pandemic.

"They are our true heroes," Cuomo said. "What they did says who they are. It's not that they weren't scared. I was scared every day. But as FDR and others said, 'Courage is not the absence of fear but the assessment that there is something more important than me' — and rising above."

On Tuesday night, all the state's assets will be lit in blue and gold, and fireworks will light the sky in celebration statewide at 9:15 p.m.

The journey is not over, with vaccinations still a goal and reimagining the city the focus, Cuomo said. "We will get up stronger and taller than ever before," just as New Yorkers did after 9/11, he said.

It was fitting that the ceremony was held at the site of the World Trade Center, a symbol of the city's ability to rise up after the unthinkable, Cuomo said.

"The day we hit 70 percent it's going to be a day to celebrate," the governor said last week.

Cuomo estimated that number might be reached in eight days — and he was correct.