Hochul lets NY's COVID state of emergency end

NEW YORK (PIX11) --- They've been renewed again and again, but Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she planned to let her COVID emergency powers lapse.

She waited until after school started to see if there was any significant spike. After seeing the numbers, she felt it was safe to end the state of emergency.

"We're in a different place now," she said.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo first declared a state of emergency back in March of 2020. At the time, there were 76 confirmed cases of COVID in the state. As of Monday, more than 5.96 million COVID tests had come back positive in New York.

While noting she doesn't feel the state of emergency is needed any longer, Hochul urged New Yorkers to get the new omicron-specific booster. She got it on Sept. 7.

Some doctors have said COVID is not winding down. If there's a spike of some kind, Hochul said she'd reinstate the emergency order.

"I want to make sure that New Yorkers know that if circumstances change, I'll make sure that I have all the tool necessary to protect their health," she said.