JULY 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 37
PRESS HEALTH
COVID-19 ROUNDUP
LATEST PANDEMIC HEADLINES
GET VAXXED, ENTER TV
FEST RAFFLE
In an effort to encourage people who
have been reluctant to get their Covid-19
vaccine to finally roll up their sleeves,
Suffolk County officials announced June
15 that those who get vaccinated will be
entered to win tickets to the North Fork
TV Festival.
Residents who get vaccinated at one
of the county-run vaccine sites will
automatically be entered in a raffle for
movie showings and events during the
sixth annual festival in Greenport,
which runs from August 4 to 6.
“In Suffolk County we are getting
creative to give our residents who
may be a little hesitant the nudge they
need to keep our communities safe and
healthy,” said Suffolk County Executive
Steve Bellone. “By getting vaccinated at
a county site, not only are you protecting
yourself and your loved ones, now
you will have the chance to score tickets
to this world-class event.”
Five pairs of tickets will be reserved
for randomly selected participants.
Winners must be older than 18.
As of June 17, 852,760 Suffolk County residents
have received at least one dose of a
Covid-19 vaccine. The county is also offering
vouchers for beer, wine, and spirits to
those who get vaccinated, with a number
of East End establishments participating.
-TB
LI TOUTS TOP VAX RATE
AMID REOPENING
As New York State celebrates crossing
the milestone of 70 percent of adults
having at least one Covid-19 vaccine
dose, Long Island leads the state with
75.3 percent of its adult residents vaccinated
with at least one dose as of June 15.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on
June 14 that all state-mandated Covid-19
restrictions will be lifted following the
news of the vaccination rate reaching
higher than 70 percent. Restrictions
across commercial and social settings
will be lifted immediately, while some
limitations based on guidelines from
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) remain in place,
including mitigation measures in public
transit and healthcare settings.
“It is an important milestone, and we’re
going to keep pushing to do more,”
People watch fireworks in the New York City Harbor, as New York State celebrates reaching a 70 percent vaccination
threshold for the coronavirus on June 15, 2021. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)
Cuomo told a news conference, adding
that the state would continue to encourage
more New Yorkers to get vaccinated.
-BB and Reuters
MIDNIGHT CURFEW
LIFTED
Bars and restaurants throughout New
York, including on Long Island, can now
operate without a curfew for the first
time since the Covid-19 restriction went
into place more than a year ago.
The curfews had been pushed from 10
p.m. to midnight earlier this year. Then,
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that
outdoor dining could remain open later
beginning May 17 and indoor dining
sans curfew starting May 31.
“Like every other milestone of our reopening,
the end of curfew for indoor
dining is the result of New Yorkers
banding together, practicing safety
precautions and getting vaccinated,
so we can defeat the virus and work
our way towards a new normal,” Cuomo
said. “Our reopening approach
has always been data based and if we
want to stay on our current trajectory,
we need to remain vigilant across
the board, especially when it comes
to indoor activities.”
-BB
TRAVELERS CAN REMOVE
MASKS IN OUTDOOR
TRANSIT HUBS, CDC SAYS
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said on Thursday it will no
longer require travelers to wear masks
in outdoor transit hubs and in outdoor
spaces on ferries, buses and trolleys,
due to the lower risk of coronavirus
transmission outdoors.
The change is the first in the CDC‘s transit
mask policy announced in January
and came after a lengthy review by the
White House Office of Management and
Budget’s regulatory arm.
The CDC said it made the change “because
of the lower risk of transmission
outdoors … Masks are still required
indoors on all forms of transportation”
regardless of vaccination status.
The change means people can take
masks off outdoors while waiting for
a train, in an outdoor courtyard of an
airport, or in open-air transit modes.
-Reuters
NY WELCOMES BACK
TOURISTS
With New York State’s infection rate
currently the lowest in the nation,
state officials are encouraging locals
and tourists alike to plan their
summer vacation in the Empire
State.
The state is launching a series of new
advertising campaigns selling both
downstate and upstate New York as
hot tourist destinations as the vaccine
summer gets underway. Though the
first commercial focuses on New York
City, Cuomo did mention Long Island’s
beaches and vineyards as destinations
for tourists to enjoy.
“We want to broadcast this all across
the world,” Cuomo said during a press
conference at the Javits Center. “We
want people coming to New York,
and we want people to know they are
welcome.”
The governor encouraged New
Yorkers to take advantage of their
home state as well this summer, with
Covid still raging in other parts of the
world.
-Ben Verde, Brooklyn Paper
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
