'It's reopening day!' Triumphant Cuomo blows kisses and Newsom goes wild as the embattled governors lift all remaining COVID restrictions in NY and Cali after both states hit 70% vax target
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and California Governor Gavin Newsom have lifted all remaining COVID restrictions and declared the pandemic over after vaccinating 70% of the adults in their states.
Now, concerts, sports events and night clubs can resume normal operations without enforcing capacity limits, social distancing rules or vaccine passes, nor do they have to make people wear masks if they don't want to.
Offices can resume operating at a 100 percent capacity with no social distancing rules.
The only rule that remains in place is the CDC's rule for adults that says people have to wear masks on public transport whether they're vaccinated or not.
Beyond that, vaccinated people can do what they want and unvaccinated people are being told to wear a mask, but it's not a rule anywhere.
Kids under 12 can't yet get the vaccine so they must wear masks when they are in schools, and other areas.
But for everyone else, it'll now come down to the discretion of a business owner or employer on whether people can work from home, go back to the office and how they will behave once they're there.
Cuomo spoke at One World Trade Center where he spoke emotionally about how New York went from having the worst COVID numbers to the best in the country.
Newsom held his own press conference at Universal City where he announced the winners of a lotto draw he's calling Vax For the Win, where people can win up to $1.5million by just getting vaccinated.
The pair celebrated their states' successes but they made no mention of the issues they have faced since the pandemic began.
Both were accused of destroying their state's economies by banning businesses from reopening.
Last year, Newsom was photographed eating inside a private dining room with a group of friends while telling all other Californians to stay at home.
His strictness inspired Caitlyn Jenner to run for the next Governor of the state, and it triggered a recall election likely to happen later this year.
In New York, Cuomo has been accused of misconduct by former staff, including bullying and sexual harassment, he's been slammed for writing a book about the pandemic while still in the throes of it, and he's been blamed for the deaths of tens of thousands of elderly people who died in nursing homes with COVID.
But on Tuesday, both governors proudly presented themselves as having defeated the pandemic - before the rest of America.
Now, the only major COVID-19 rules in place in America are that anyone who flies in from a foreign country must obtain a COVID-19 test when they arrive. New Jersey is mandating that unvaccinated workers must wear masks indoors and socially distance. Temperature checks must also be in place.
Cuomo was jubilant as he made the announcement at the One World Trade Center. He is shown hugging Northwell Health Director of Patient Services Sandra Lindsey, who was the first to get vaccinated in the state
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday lifted all of his state's restrictions and he announced people who'd won $1.5million in the Vax For the Win draw - a program he ran to incentivize people to get vaccinated
There are no quarantine rules nationally. The only other remaining rule is President Joe Biden's travel ban, which prohibits travel by foreign nationals from the UK, Ireland, 26 European countries, Iran, India, China, Brazil and South Africa.
As of Tuesday, the state test positivity rate in New York is 0.4 percent.
'It means we can now return to life as know it. We have the highest vaccination rate in the country,' Cuomo said.
'The state mandates that have proven right and correct are relaxed as of today. Effective immediately. Remember June 15. It is the day that New York rose again,' Cuomo said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom made a similar announcement earlier in the day.
'Good morning California. It’s reopening day. We’ve administered over 40 million vaccines. Now no more social distancing. No more capacity limits.
'No more colors or county tiers. And if you’re vaccinated—no more masks. It’s a good day.'
New York City is largely open with no restrictions in place on nightlife venues, restaurants and bars. Many are asking people if they've been vaccinated when they enter, but they aren't asking for proof. Some are more strict. Pictured, people at the Filmmaker's Trivia Night on June 14
Movie theaters are back open in New York City and it'll be down to them if they ask people to wear masks or not
New York and California have had the strictest COVID-19 rules in America since the start of the pandemic. They have been accused of ruining their state's economies by imposing the harsh rules long after COVID cases and deaths started to drop.
The news in New York and California was welcomed by hospitality and business leaders on Tuesday.
Restaurant owners in New York City say they now have the problem of trying to fill jobs which no one wants because they are still receiving inflated unemployment benefits.
'After 16 months of unprecedented devastation to New York’s restaurants, bars, clubs inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s monumental to join Governor Cuomo and leaders from around New York at 1 World Trade Center to officially lift restrictions on businesses and begin a new phase of the city’s recovery.
'This is a critically important step forward and remarkable day on a long road to recovery.
'Much more still needs to be done to support tens of thousands of struggling small businesses and workers in New York: top among those efforts is for the federal government to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and provide local businesses the urgent relief they need,' Andrew Rigie, Director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance told DailyMail.com on Tuesday afternoon.
James Mettham, Executive Director of the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership, said: 'We have seen good signs of recovery in the Flatiron and NoMad neighborhoods in recent months, including increasing foot traffic and many new businesses moving in.
'Today’s news that restrictions have been lifted, thanks to so many New Yorkers getting vaccinated, should accelerate that momentum and hopefully encourage the return of more office workers.'
The vaccination rate in almost every part of New York is now 70 percent - that is the number of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
It is the number President Biden has given as a goal for July 4 for the country.
New York State's test positivity rate is now just 0.4 percent.
Despite the increasing vaccine roll-out across America, President Biden has not yet opened the border to people from the UK, Europe, Ireland, Iran, Brazil or South Africa.
Travel from India is also still banned but the country is going through the worst COVID explosion since the pandemic began.
In New York City, there were just 158 cases of COVID over the weekend - less than 0.01 percent of the city's population.
Seven people died across the state of New York from COVID-19 on Sunday.
At the worst of the pandemic, that number was nearly 900 a day.
Rent prices are showing signs of economic recovery for the first time since last April - they were up by $14 in Manhattan, $50 in Queens and held steady in Brooklyn in April, according to new data from Streeteasy.
It is the first time they have not fallen since last year.
Cuomo's guidance puts the onus on businesses to decide how to get people used to operating in pre-pandemic mode again.
Wall Street is already divided in how it'll go about it; Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said staff will have until Labor Day to return to the NYC office, or they'll face repercussions that are yet to be decided.
Anyone who relocated from New York City to a cheaper city and who wants to stay there to work remotely can expect a salary cut, he said.
'I would call it directionally strong without dictating - yet.
'But [by] Labor Day, I'll be very disappointed if people haven't found their way into the office and then we'll have a different kind of conversation.'
He goes in four days a week right now and has been in at least one day a week since last summer.
While Gorman says the bank will continue to afford some flexibility to families whose kids can't get back to school or camp over the summer, he's ready to crack the whip in September if met with resistance from people who don't want to come in.
'Make no mistake about it - we do our work inside Morgan Stanley offices, and that's where we teach, that's where our interns learn, that's where you build all the soft cues that go with building a successful career that aren't just about Zoom presentations.
'When will that occur? My leadership style has been very deliberate.
'I went from one day a week from July to Labor Day last year, two days Labor Day until the end of the year, three days the beginning of this year until March and now I am at four days.
'If you can go into a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office. We want you in the office,' he said.
Some rules remain in place like the rent moratorium which means anyone who suffered financial hardship because of COVID cannot be evicted for not paying rent.
That will be in place until August and the tenant must show proof that they have suffered hardship. Anyone that didn't pay rent throughout may still have to backpay.
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