New York to lift mask mandate for vaccinated people
17 May 2021
New York will lift its mask mandate for vaccinated people on Wednesday, aligning with CDC guidance announced last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference.
Why it matters: The announcement marks a significant milestone for the state, which was one of the first to issue a broad mask mandate in April 2020 when it was facing one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world.
Yes, but: Masks will still be required on public transit and in nursing homes, homeless shelters, jails, schools and health care facilities. Private businesses and venues can add additional requirements if they choose to.
Driving the news: Cuomo also announced the New York City Marathon will return in November, with a field of runners reduced from 55,000 to about 33,000, according to the New York Times.
By the numbers: New York is seeing the lowest number of hospitalizations and lowest number of patients in the intensive care unit since November.
- The state on Monday also reported its lowest number for single-day deaths (11) since Oct. 11.
- Cuomo on Saturday announced that more than half of New York adults have been vaccinated for COVID-19.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.