People walk along the Street in New York, the United States, June 15, 2021. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo Tuesday announced the immediate lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions across the state as 70 percent of adults in the state have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced that the state will end the statewide disaster emergency on Thursday thanks to substantial progress made in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York State declared a state of emergency in early March of 2020 to contain the spread of coronavirus.
A number of laws, rules and regulations were modified or suspended to facilitate emergency purchase, testing, treatment, cleaning and quarantine.
"New York went from one of the worst infection rates to the lowest infection rate in the country, and it was all because of the efforts of New Yorkers who were smart, united and did what they needed to do throughout this entire pandemic," said Cuomo.
As of Wednesday, New York State had 0.34 percent positivity rate in COVID-19 testing with 474 COVID-19 patients hospitalized and 104 people in intensive care units.
The state reported 42,942 accumulative deaths from the pandemic on Wednesday with 71.2 percent of residents administered with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Still, the guidance from Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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.
