By Hanna Park
(NEW YORK) New York officially reopened on Tuesday by lifting nearly all coronavirus restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, as more than 70% of New Yorkers received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, The New York Times reports.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that fireworks displays will be held across the state Tuesday at 9:15 p.m. to celebrate the health care heroes and other essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, per WLNY-TV.
“This is a momentous day and we deserve it because it has been a long, long road,” Cuomo said. “We can now return to life as we know it. We went literately from worst to first. Not only did we hit the national goal. We hit it ahead of schedule.”
Cuomo had previously said that the state would lift all remaining coronavirus restrictions when the state hit the benchmark.
Meanwhile, in New York City, only 46.8% of the population is fully vaccinated. Still, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was also ready to reopen the economy.
“I think we are ready, bottom line,” he said Tuesday. “See the decline in positivity rates.”
Masks will continue to be required in crowded and high-risk areas, such as hospitals, healthcare facilities, public transit, pre-K to 12 schools, prisons and homeless shelters. But overall, the state will not mandate masks for the fully vaccinated.
Unvaccinated individuals will still be responsible for maintaining proper social distancing of six feet and wearing masks, per guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.