NEW YORK (TIP): Announcing the end of pandemic emergency on June 24, Governor Cuomo said, “Today we close out the emergency chapter in the pandemic—effective today, New York’s COVID-19 State of Emergency has ended. Federal CDC guidance will remain in place, meaning if you’re unvaccinated, you should still wear a mask in public indoors. Masks will also still be required on public transit and certain other settings, like health care facilities. Fighting COVID and vaccinating New Yorkers are still our top priorities but the emergency is over”.

Federal CDC guidelines will remain in effect, which include 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. State and local government health departments will still be able to ensure mask rules and other health precautions are adhered to in those settings.

Since March of 2020, a variety of actions had been taken by executive order to assist in the rapid response to the pandemic by state agencies, local governments, hospitals, and businesses by both temporarily suspending or modifying laws as well as utilizing temporary directives. Hospitals were able to add space and staffing, meetings were authorized to occur virtually, and various deadlines were extended to accommodate a changed landscape. “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,” Governor Cuomo said. “Now we’re starting to write a new chapter for a post-COVID New York–the state disaster emergency is ending and we can focus on reimaging, rebuilding and renewing our state. This doesn’t mean COVID is gone, we still have to get more New Yorkers vaccinated, but we are getting back on track and starting to live life once again.”