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'We can now return to life as we know it' - Cuomo relaxes all COVID restrictions across social, commercial settings

With the state hitting his goal for adult vaccinations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says mandated COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted across commercial and social settings.

News 12 Staff

Jun 15, 2021, 10:17 AM

Updated 1,253 days ago

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With the state hitting his goal for adult vaccinations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says mandated COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted across commercial and social settings.
According to the CDC, 70% of adults in the state have had at least one dose of the vaccine as of Monday afternoon. Cuomo echoed the numbers at his Tuesday news conference in Manhattan.
The list of changes can be found here:
But per federal CDC mandate, mask requirements are still in place for grades pre-K-12  in schools, on public transit and in health care settings.
Islanders' fans and the owner of Borrelli's restaurant in East Meadow were grateful to have full capacity to enjoy the game. It's the first time the restaurant and so many others were able to open at full capacity.
Frank Borrelli, the owner of Borrelli's, was speechless saying it's great to be back.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran was also in attendance at Borrelli's eating pizza and sporting her Islanders jersey. She says having a watch party just shows the amazing progress that has been made.
Freddy Mattera, owner of Waves salon in Hauppauge, lost half his staff and was in danger of closing due to COVID restrictions. He was very happy when he heard the news this afternoon.
Mattera says he will roll back restrictions gradually including asking patrons if they are comfortable without the partitions in between the stations.
"It's still early. A lot of people aren't comfortable," says Mattera. "So we want to make sure everyone is comfortable."
Cuomo says New York has fully vaccinated a larger share of adults than any other big state in the country. Long Island leads the way in vaccinations among New York regions, with 75.3% of adults getting at least one shot.
Cuomo says New York went from having the highest positivity rate in the country to now the lowest.