According to the Centers for Disease Control, COVID trackers clearly show that although there are a handful of counties in downstate New York with somewhat high levels of COVID, the rest of the state is holding its own and only showing low to medium levels.

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Although COVID infection levels have generally dropped across the State of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul somewhat quietly initiated an executive order on Thursday, July 14. It seems the move was done quietly because, despite deep digging, CBS 6 in Albany appears to have been the first to uncover the extension of the executive order but only on Monday, July 18, four days after the extension was declared.

Governor Hochul's executive order now extends New York's disaster emergency through August 13, 2022. The extension of the disaster emergency means that Governor Hochul can use her emergency pandemic powers to maneuver around the legislature on many issues related to the pandemic.

However, as New York has been battling COVID for the last two years and current numbers show that the majority of the state is in pretty good shape, Governor Hochul is now facing some heat not only from the public, but also from Republican and Democrat lawmakers who say that it's time to get on with life and that the Governor's emergency powers need to end entirely.

Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Democrat from Queens is one of those lawmakers who spoke with CBS 6 saying, "... we’re kind of stuck in a no-man’s zone where we're telling people to go back to work, to go out to eat in restaurants, go spend your money, but yet we are declaring a continuous state of emergency, like which one is it?

New York State Republican Committee Chairman Nick Langworthy also spoke to CBS 6 and took a stance against the extension of emergency pandemic powers saying, "She’s trying to create a perpetual crisis and keep this crisis going so that she can be on the frontlines and the forefront of the public discussion even more."

Governor Hochul's extension of the executive order declaring a disaster emergency in New York can be read in its entirety here.

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