NY Extends Mask Mandate as State Sees Almost 80K Daily Cases – NBC New York
What to Know
- New York state smashed its single-day COVID case record for the 3rd straight day Thursday, reporting 76,555 positives, as hospitalizations rise
- Virus hospitalizations are at early February levels and climbing, with NY reporting 7,919 patients as of Friday, a 7% increase in the last day
- While this intense omicron wave is expected to be shorter-lived than the delta one, Gov. Kathy Hochul says she expects a peak on all core COVID metrics next month and says the state is prepared to handle it
On the final day of 2021, the country’s first calendar year completely engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic, New York delivered one last record-smashing COVID case high for a third straight day.
The governor’s final update for the year included a record 76,555 new positives as the omicron surge stretches the state’s hospitals further. In her final address of 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul detailed a revamped winter surge plan with five keys targets to aid overwhelmed hospitals and protect the most vulnerable.
Hochul’s “2.0” plan for the current winter surge starts with education. In addition to the millions of tests already in hand and headed to schools across the state, another 6 million will be in New York by Monday, bringing the total of test kits for schools well past 11 million. State officials say they expect to have kits rolling out on a regular basis to meet demand and keep students in the classroom if safe to do so.
Booster shots will also be required for students returning to the state and city-run colleges, Hochlu announced. SUNY and CUNY students who are eligible for their booster shot must receive an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine when returning to campus, effective Jan. 15.
Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a new “winter surge plan” on Dec. 31 to combat rising COVID cases and hospitalizations in New York.
The second prong of the state’s new plan is focused on mask wearing and expanding current testing operations. Hochul said her current “mask or vax” mandate in place for all businesses that was set to expire on Jan. 15 will be extended until Feb. 1, before warning of another extension if the surge requires it.
Six more state-run testing sites will also come online in the first week of the new year, following the 13 new ones opened this week, the governor added.
New York also has a stash of 5 million KN95 masks heading out to counties across the state, with hundreds of thousands earmarked for nursing homes. Shoring up nursing home safety is a cornerstone of the state’s efforts to protect the most vulnerable, and in order to do so, Hochul said the state has asked the federal government for the ability to restrict visitors who are not vaccinated.
“Visit your loved one, but also don’t be the reason that loved one does not survive because you brought the virus into the nursing home for them and their neighbors,” Hochul said Friday, while pleading with anyone yet to be vaccinated to consider getting a shot before visiting.
More help from the federal government is on the way, she said. Fifty new ambulance teams will be headed to New York City in the new year, while dozens of additional…
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