The Governor also announced the demobilizing of additional state-run drive-through COVID-19 testing sites across New York State beginning Friday, June 18. These testing site closures follow historically low positivity rates and an 88 percent decrease in drive-through testing demand from January to May 2021.
"So all the state mandated restrictions are listed on commercial, social settings, sports and recreation, construction, manufacturing, retail buildings, all across the board. We can get back to living in businesses can open because the state mandates are gone, social gathering restrictions, the capacity restrictions, the health screenings, the cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
"I'm not giving up my hand sanitizer just yet, by the way, I love that New York clean hand sanitizer, it keeps is everything clean. Plus you take a whiff of that. It opens up your sinuses, like nothing I've ever seen. But that is now voluntary and it's up to individuals in places, but the mandates are gone.
"The CDC federal mandates obviously continue for pre-K schools and public transit and healthcare settings. But the state mandates have been lifted. That's not to say that 70 percent is the end, we want to do better than 70 percent, but it is an important milestone and we're going to keep pushing to do more.
"It's a Testament to the people of the State of New York. That is who did this. People who stayed tough and smart and united during the most difficult challenge of our lives. And most of all, most of all, the essential workers who came forward and whose effort and courage brought us through this day and they are our heroes.
"We can't say enough. We've said thank you, but we want to say thank you again. On behalf of all the people of the State of New York, for what has been done and we want to acknowledge them here today.
"What they did says who they are. It's not that they weren't scared. It's not that we weren't scared. I was scared. I was scared every day, but FDR, another great New Yorker, said it. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that says there's something more important than me feeling that fear and succumbing to that fear and rising above. And they did. And we want to present a small token of our appreciation today to our first responders." ■