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Fauci Says Feds Taking New NY Variant ‘Very Seriously;' City Marks Year Since Its 1st Known Case
The president’s top COVID advisor, days after brushing off reports of a possible dangerous new virus strain circulating in New York, stood at a White House podium Monday and said the government was taking that variant “very seriously.” Dr. Anthony Fauci said the “B.1.526” strain likely originated in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in upper Manhattan, before spreading to “multiple...
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NY Confirms 2nd South African Variant Case as Reopening Hits Crucial Week
New York state reported its second known case of the South African variant Tuesday as the number of detected U.K. variant cases soared to 154, 54 percent of which are in the five boroughs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Both of the recently detected South African variant cases involve Nassau County residents, Cuomo said. That strain, which involves different mutations on…
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NY Sports Arenas Reopen To Fans, At Strict Capacities
Ray Villeda reports on the reopening of sports arenas, including Madison Square Garden, to fans today
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Cuomo Sets NYC Movie Theater Date as State Kicks Off Huge Reopening Week; Delayed Vaccines Arrive
Fans in the stands. Middle schoolers in the classroom. More overnight subway service. A big boost for indoor dining. The largest vaccination site yet. Nursing home visitations. This may be the most significant (and varied) week of reopening in New York state and city since the pandemic began. It comes a day after the U.S. surpassed a once-unthinkable 500,000 lives…
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NYC Demands ‘Fair Share' as Vaccine Supply Dwindles; Cuomo Sets More Reopening Dates
Postponed. Canceled. “Please try again later.” These are some of the most common messages frustrating tri-state residents as they scramble to try to book vaccination appointments that take months to get and might get shelved anyway. In most cases, it’s a matter of supply. New York City’s stock of first doses had dwindled below 29,000 Wednesday, prompting Mayor Bill...
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NYC Drilled on Variant Response as Vaccine Limits Push State Appointments to Mid-April
New York state and city officials are facing increasing pressure from local council members and others regarding their response to tracking more contagious coronavirus variants that have emerged as the number of detected U.K. variant cases in the Empire State and nationally continues to climb. Mayor Bill de Blasio and his team were peppered with new questions Tuesday, one...
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Cuomo Moves Indoor Dining Curfew to 11 PM; NYC Warns ‘Proceed With Caution' on Reopening
Indoor dining resumed Friday in New York City, nearly two months since Gov. Andrew Cuomo shut it down entirely for the second time in a year as COVID-19 cases began to climb post-Thanksgiving. And starting Sunday, the 10 p.m. statewide indoor service curfew will be extended to 11 p.m., Cuomo said Friday, citing ongoing declines in hospitalization and infection rates…
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NYC Restaurants Prepare for Indoor Dining to Return
Restaurants in the city are getting ready to so something they haven’t been able to do for tow months: serve customers inside. While they are happy to return to some sense of normalcy, some are fighting to be able to stay open past the 10 p.m. curfew. NBC New York’s Gilma Avalos reports.
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New York's Plan to Reopen Arenas Won't Come Cheap for Fans
In two weeks, the state will allow arenas and large venues to reopen for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but fans looking to attend events will have to shell out more money than expected. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.
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Family Entertainment Businesses Fight to Reopen on Long Island
With sports arenas getting the green light to reopen in coming weeks, indoor family entertainment centers want to know when it will be their turn — and are suing the state to allow them to do so sooner. NBC New York’s Greg Cergol reports.
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Cuomo: Large NY Venues Can Reopen Feb. 23 With Testing; Barclays to Host Fans That Day
Declaring New York state’s demonstration with the Buffalo Bills an “unparalleled success,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday he will extend the testing- based program to any large stadium or arena later this month. Fans who provide a negative PCR test within 72 hours of an event will be able to attend music shows and performances as well as baseball, soccer,…
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Cuomo Announces Large NY Venues Can Reopen Feb. 23 With Testing
Declaring New York state’s demonstration with the Buffalo Bills an “unparalleled success,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday he will extend the testing- based program to any large stadium or arena later this month. That means fans who provide a negative PCR test within 72 hours of an event will be able to attend music shows and performances as well as...
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Cuomo Denies NYC Ask to Free Up 2nd Shots; Health Chief Explains Why He Didn't Get His 1st
New York state will not grant Mayor Bill de Blasio’s formal request to fully open up reserved second doses for first dose use, saying the CDC recommends against doing so at this time. If that changes, the governor will allow it statewide, the state health commissioner said Thursday. The mayor has repeatedly made the ask — earning the right from…
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Cuomo Gives Local Gov'ts Flexibility on Vaccine Eligibility; Variants Give NYC ‘Extreme' Concern
A powerful nor’easter temporarily brought New York’s vaccine rollout to a halt this week, with all city hubs and many state-run sites postponing appointments through Tuesday, but the state’s downward trek from the holiday spike that saw hospitalizations top 9,000 for the first time in nearly nine months is continuing. At the same time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the...
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White New Yorkers Get Vaccine at Double the Rate of Minorities, City Data Shows
New Yorker elected leaders faced renewed questions of how to improve vaccine distribution on Monday, one day after Mayor Bill de Blasio shared demographic data showing a significant racial disparity among people who have received their first dose. Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled the city’s first look at a breakdown of race and ethnicity among those vaccinated Sunday while...
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Cuomo: NYC Indoor Dining Can Return Valentine's Day (25% Cap); Limited Weddings OK in March
New York City restaurants can reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity on Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest dining days of the year, provided current downward trends in positivity and hospitalization rates continue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. He also announced that wedding receptions of up to 50 percent capacity or 150 people will be permitted in New York…
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NYC Indoor Dining to Reopen at 25% Capacity Valentine's Day; Limited Weddings OK in March
New York City restaurants can reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity on Valentine’s Day, provided current downward trends in positivity and hospitalization rates continue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. He also announced that wedding receptions of up to 50 percent or 150 people will be permitted in New York starting March 15, provided all guests are tested and local health officials approve.
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‘Insane:' Mayor Warns Vaccine Shortage Could Freeze Rollout; Hospitals Cancel Appointments
New York City has moved closer to a cutoff point in its vaccination rollout as multiple hospitals told patients who booked appointments for their first dose that there were no more vaccines, for now. The mayor had warned days ago the city would run out of doses at some point next week without a “major” new infusion. Bill de Blasio…
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NYC Hospitals Halt Giving Out Vaccine Due to Shortage; NY COVID Deaths Highest Since May
The discovery of a second UK strain cluster in New York, this time on Long Island, is fueling ever-heightened urgency around the state’s vaccination rollout, which encountered a significant hiccup in the city as the state’s daily death toll continues to rise while hospitalizations start to plateau. Multiple New York City hospitals sent out messages Thursday evening to patients...
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NJ Expands Vaccine Eligibility to Age 65+, High-Risk People Ages 16-64
New Jersey residents 65 and older, as well as those from 16 to 64 with serious medical conditions such as cancer, heart and kidney disease, can begin to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot on Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. Murphy said the decision stemmed from a few factors, including what he said was a “strong appetite” for expanding…