Our COVID numbers "substantial"; masks unlikely

8/4/2021

By Patsy Nicosia

No longer with the legal authority to mandate masks, Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday said it’s up to local leaders to follow the Center for Disease Control’s latest advice:
Mask up—indoors—if you’re in a county where there’s a substantial or high risk of transmitting COVID.
Even if you’re vaccinated.
Sunday, Schoharie, Albany, and Columbia Counties were added to upstate New York’s “substantial transmission list,” joining Schenectady, Saratoga, and Rensselaer Counties, which were already on the CDC list.
The CDC changes come as the number of cases of the Delta variant increase, especially in the unvaccinated.
A month ago, Governor Cuomo said at a press conference Wednesday, the state had 275 COVID cases.
“Today [Wednesday], we had 2,200 cases. SO the increase in the number is real. It’s not a fabrication.”
Seventy-five percent of New York’s adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, though locally, that figure is about 50 percent.
Monday, Schoharie County reported 1,743 cases of COVID, an increase of 23 cases over the past seven days.
“We’ve seen the COVID movie,” Governor Cuomo told reporters Monday as he put the responsibility for mask and even vaccination and testing mandates at the feet of local officials.
“We’ve seen this movie. We beat the damn thing by being smart the first time. You know how the movie ends. Be smart.”
Schoharie County Supervisors chair Bill Federice, however, said he’s not acting—yet.
“Right now, my inclination is to wait and see,” Mr. Federice said Monday after the Governor’s press conference.
That could change if the numbers change dramatically, he said, and he pointed out no one needs a law to wear a mask.
“If you feel you need to wear a mask, wear one,” he said. “People need to respect that. I’m not one for executive orders. If things get like they were a year ago, we may have to take a another look.”
Health officials continue to stress the need for COVID vaccinations.
Though there have now been cases of people with vaccines contracting the considerably more contagious Delta variant or even transmitting it themselves, most of the variant cases have been in the unvaccinated.
Healthcare workers at state-run hospitals will be required to vaccinate by Labor Day and all 130,000 state workers will be required to get vaccinated, also by Labor Day, or test weekly.
There is no testing option for patient-facing healthcare workers.
“It’s smart, it’s fair,” Governor Cuomo said. “I think we need dramatic action to get control of this situation.
“How bad can this get? Nobody knows. It could get very bad. If it spreads among the unvaccinated, it could get very bad. So what do we do? Everybody has to get vaccinated.”
Governor Cuomo suggested businesses “incentivize” getting the vaccine by imposing vaccinated-only admission regulations.
He also said he believes schools should require teachers to be vaccinated.
“Everything should be on the table if numbers start to rise quickly,” he said. “If you wait until it’s obvious, it’s already too late.
“I’m going to wear a mask and I’m vaccinated.”