“It is wonderful that 70 percent of New Yorkers have chosen to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, and I believe this benchmark is yet another reminder of the hard work and unwavering dedication of our frontline workers, emergency personnel and essential workers over the last 427-plus days of the pandemic. Thank you so much to everyone who has been working, volunteering and doing their part to better our community during this historic and turbulent time.

“Now that our state has reached this monumental target, I believe it is also time that our state government returns to normalcy. We no longer need to be operating in a state of emergency, and the executive chamber’s emergency powers should be given up at this time. Furthermore, as the state’s mandates have now all been lifted for adults, I also believe those should be lifted for healthy, asymptomatic children as well in accordance with the wishes of their parents.”