COVID Restrictions End In NY As Adult Vaccinations Pass 70%
In a major reopening step, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday ended most remaining pandemic restrictions on capacity, social distancing and more.
NEW YORK CITY — Life in New York City officially is returning to normal after a long year under the coronavirus's shadow.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced most remaining restrictions on social distancing and capacity will end after 70 percent of adults in the state received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Cuomo declared the state officially reopened at One World Trade Center in New York City — the city that bore the pandemic's early brunt.
"What does 70 percent mean? It means that we can now return to life as we know it," he said.
"The state mandates that have been proven right and correct and brought us through this pandemic are relaxed as of today effective immediately," he said to a standing ovation.
Federal mandates remain for schools, public transit, large venues, homeless shelters and correctional and healthcare facilities, Cuomo said. And mask requirements will remain in place based on CDC guidance.
But otherwise Cuomo lifted state-imposed capacity limits, social distancing requirements, screening protocols and contact tracing conditions for businesses and social settings.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, anticipating the announcement Tuesday, called it a step toward his "Summer of New York City."
"That means we get to open up even more," he said.
At 427 days into the crisis, Cuomo looked back on the pandemic's early days, when Times Square emptied, ambulances screamed through the city and life seemed like a science fiction movie.
New York went from the highest COVID-19 positivity in the country to the lowest as of Tuesday, Cuomo said.
"We literally went from worst to first," he said.
The coronavirus vaccine helped bring New York back to normal, Cuomo said. More than 20.2 million doses have gone into arms in the state, the highest per capita in the country, he said.
"That's not to say that 70 percent [vaccinations] is the end," he said. "We need to do better than 70 percent. But it is an important milestone and we're going to keep pushing to do more."
Cuomo capped his briefing with soaring rhetoric and an emotional moment recalling his father, the late former Gov. Mario Cuomo, whose birthday is June 15.
The elder Cuomo "bristled" at being compared to politicians — his faith wasn't in the system so much as New Yorkers themselves, the younger Cuomo said.
"And as he looks down today, he would say, 'I was right. I was right,'" Andrew Cuomo said. "You know who beat COVID? The people of New York beat COVID. The courage of New Yorkers beat COVID. The individual strength beat COVID."
Firework displays across the state will honor the front line and essential workers who helped carry the state through the crisis, Cuomo said. A display is scheduled Tuesday at 9:15 p.m. in New York Harbor.
The Empire State Building, One World Trade Center and Penn Station's East End Gateway, in addition to other landmarks, will be lit in the state's colors of blue and gold Tuesday night, Cuomo said.