A week after Yankee Stadium opened as a large-scale vaccination site in The Bronx, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday, Feb. 10, that stadiums and arenas will be allowed reopen for sports and other events with limited spectators starting Feb. 23. The governor said that following the success of the Buffalo Bills testing program, sports and entertainment events in major stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more will be allowed to reopen with limited attendance.
He said that venues and events must follow State guidelines on capacity limitations, testing requirements, mandatory face coverings, social distancing and more. Norwood News reached out to both the Yankees and to the City to clarify if vaccinations will continue at Yankee Stadium if games are due to commence in the coming weeks. We did not receive an immediate response.
In other news, the governor announced on Feb. 11 that COVID-19 hospitalizations had dropped to 7,342, and that of the 285,499 tests reported as of Feb. 10, 10,099 people or 3.54 percent were positive. There were 1,402 patients in ICU on Feb 10, down 21 from the previous day. Of these patients, 941 were intubated. The governor also reported on Feb. 11 that 122 New Yorkers had died from the virus.
In terms of vaccinations, the governor said that, as of 11 a.m. on Feb. 11, 1,787,189 of the 2,002,055 first dose allocations received from the federal government, representing 89 percent of the allocations received have been administered. Meanwhile, 660,083 second doses have also been administered of the 1,031,650 second doses received. Vaccination data by region can be seen on the State’s vaccine tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.
Updated CDC quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals have been received and will be implemented in New York State. On Feb. 10, the CDC announced that for individuals who have received both vaccine doses, and for whom at least two weeks have passed since receiving the second dose, they are no longer required to quarantine if they are exposed to someone who is infected with the virus.
The governor said that New York is updating its guidance in this regard to follow the CDC new guidelines. He added, however, that all New Yorkers, including those who have been fully vaccinated, should continue to wear masks, social distance, and be smart until herd immunity is reached and the pandemic is fully relegated to the history books.
In terms of testing, on Feb. 10, the governor said New York State had conducted over 34 million tests to date, with one million tests having been carried out within one week. He added that getting tested regularly for COVID was a great way to monitor people’s health, as well as the health of those around them.
Cuomo encouraged anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the virus, to get tested. Find a testing site near you. Residents can also call 1-888-364-3065 to make a free appointment at a New York State-run testing location.
The governor also took the occasion to spotlight a new Hip Hop Public Health’s video in order to fight fear of the vaccine with facts. To help raise awareness of the safety and importance of getting vaccinated and to boost vaccine literacy, Hip Hop Public Health released a new animated music video featuring rapper Darryl DMC McDaniels of Run-DMC and more. Watch it here.
Last month, Norwood News reported how the governor also announced further proposed safety enhancements to the voting process in New York State for upcoming elections amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, citing lessons learned from the June 2020 primaries and the November general elections last year.
On Friday, Feb. 12, New York State Senators Alessandra Biaggi, Jabari Brisport, Samra Brouk, Jeremy Cooney, Andrew Gounardes, Robert Jackson, John C. Liu, John Mannion, Rachel May, Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, Gustavo Rivera, Julia Salazar, James Sanders, and James Skoufis issued a joint statement calling for a repeal of the governor’s authority to issue unilateral directives.
On March 3, 2020, legislation was passed to significantly expand the Governor’s executive powers under an emergency declaration, including giving him the ability to issue directives, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Without exception, the New York State Constitution calls for the Legislature to govern as a co-equal branch of government,” the statement read. “While COVID-19 has tested the limits of our people and state –– and, early during the pandemic, required the government to restructure decision making to render rapid, necessary public health judgments –– it is clear that the expanded emergency powers granted to the Governor are no longer appropriate.”
The statement continued, “While the executive’s authority to issue directives is due to expire on April 30, we urge the Senate to advance and adopt a repeal as expeditiously as possible.”
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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