Ortt urges Hochul to update NY’s Covid guidance to be in line with CDC

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

ALBANY – Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt today sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging her administration to update the state’s guidance and emergency regulations to reflect recent changes made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“As you may know, the CDC recently updated its guidance to better reflect the progress made after understanding and combating the Covid-19 virus,” Ortt wrote. “Most notably, the CDC now recommends that those exposed to Covid-19 are no longer required to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status. Additionally, the CDC has also removed prior recommendations for social distancing and test-to-stay procedures in K through 12 schools and early childhood programs. Per the CDC, the new guidelines ‘help us to move to a point where Covid-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives.’”

Ortt also pushed the governor to release Covid-19 guidelines in line with the CDC changes, without further delay as the new school year rapidly approaches and parents and school administrators have yet to receive guidelines for schools.

The governor recently extended her Covid-19 state of emergency this week, which has been in effect for nearly a full year.

“I strongly urge you to adopt the shift in approach taken by the CDC and update state guidance and emergency regulations to reflect its change in strategy in general,” Ortt said. “New Yorkers have suffered under this pandemic for over two years, and it is long overdue that our policies focus on protecting the most vulnerable from serious illness rather than broad restrictions on the public.”