New York has hit the 70% vaccination mark at which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said virtually all remaining COVID-19 restrictions can be lifted, according to CDC data.
The governor spoke earlier Monday, when he said 69.9% of New Yorkers ages 18 and up have at least one dose of the vaccine.
The milestone now means that restrictions such as social distancing, providing information for contact tracing, and capacity will all be lifted. Other restrictions getting lifted include cleaning and disinfection, and health screenings.
Michael Goinas, of rhe Hauppauge Palace Diner, says, "We are very excited to go back to business as usual."
One Northwell Health doctor did issue some words of caution.
"People should not misinterpret removal of restrictions that the pandemic is over and this is gone, and that we've reached herd immunity and we are finished with it," says Dr. Bruce Farber.
Farber warns that there are immunosuppressed patients and children that still have not been vaccinated. Farber say people should still get vaccinated.
Cuomo also announced that the 2021 New York State Fair, an end-of-summer celebration at the New York State Fairgrounds from Aug. 20 to Sept. 6 in Syracuse, will increase capacity to 100% and reopen many popular buildings with additional vendors, given the significant progress New Yorkers have made against COVID-19. In accordance with the state's evolving health guidelines, indoor spaces will be subject to capacity limits to allow attendees to be socially distanced within each building.
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here for the CDC's COVID Data Tracker.