New York State Team
ALBANY - The COVID-19 pandemic limited travel last year for most New Yorkers, so they found an outdoor alternative nearby: the nation s largest parks system in their home state.
Attendance at New York s 180 parks and 35 historic sites hit a new attendance record in 2020 with 78 million visits, a 1.2% increase from 2019.
New York has invested heavily in the park system, and the $1 billion investment has paid off, state officials said: The state has had nine years of visitor growth, up 34% during that span. In 2020, our state parks became an even more critical resource than before as New Yorkers sought safe places for solace, exercise and relief from the pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Jan.26.
Cuomo aide admits holding back COVID nursing home data amid DOJ inquiry
New York State Team
ALBANY The top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged pausing the release of data on COVID-19 in nursing homes because the governor s administration feared it could be used against us by the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.
Now, a growing number of lawmakers of both parties are accusing Cuomo of withholding key data and calling on the Legislature to strip him of his emergency powers, which have allowed him to unilaterally impose sweeping rules and restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa s comments came in a private Zoom call Wednesday with a number of Democratic lawmakers, who in August had requested additional data about the coronavirus death toll in nursing homes and answers to questions about the state s handling of the virus.
In all, 14,958 people in New York have died from COVID, or presumed to have, who lived in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and adult-care places since last March.
New York State Team
ALBANY - Two of the leading pharmacy chains in the nation will be offering COVID-19 vaccines in New York starting this week.
CVS and Walgreens announced in recent days they will have a limited supply of vaccines in select states, and New York is one of them.
And it won t be all stores in New York. Just ones that happen to have a vaccine on any given day or week.
CVS said its in-store availability of vaccines will begin Friday, which is also when its scheduling system will open.
Walgreens said vaccinations will also begin in stores Friday. Pharmacies had already been part of a national program that started in December to provide vaccines for long-term care facility staff and residents.