Hochul declares disaster emergency over COVID-19
Gov. Kathy Hochul announces the "Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate" program, Nov. 9, 2021.[News10NBC]
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Gov. Kathy Hochul Friday declared a disaster emergency over COVID-19 in New York.
The state of emergency in New York over COVID-19 had ended on June 24, 2021, and with it, then-governor Andrew Cuomo’s emergency pandemic powers.
The order applies to the entire state of New York and runs through Jan. 15, 2022.
It enables her to temporarily suspend or modify any statute, local law, ordinance, order, rule, or regulation in an attempt to "prevent, hinder, or delay action necessary to cope with the disaster emergency".
She made the following changes effective now through Dec. 26, 2021:
- Section 112 of the State Finance Law: To the extent necessary to add additional work, sites, funding, and time to State contracts or to award contracts, including but not limited to contracts or leases for relocation and support of State operations under Section 3 of the Public Buildings Law; or contracts under Section 9 of the Public Buildings Law; or contracts for professional services under Section 136-a of the State Finance Law; or contracts for purchases of commodities, services, and technology through any federal GSA schedules, federal 1122 programs, or other state, regional, local, multi-jurisdictional, or cooperative contract vehicles.
- Section 163 of the State Finance Law and Article 4-C of the Economic Development Law: To the extent necessary to allow the purchase of necessary commodities, services, technology, and materials without following the standard notice and procurement processes.
- Section 97-G of the State Finance Law: To the extent necessary to purchase food, supplies, services, and equipment or furnish or provide various centralized services to assist affected local governments, individuals, and other non-State entities in responding to and recovering from the disaster emergency.
One of her first moves under the disaster emergency was to allow the New York State Department of Health to suspend non-urgent procedures.
Read the full order below (mobile users, click here):