Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo (R,C,I-Sayville) joined Assembly and Senate Minority members at a press conference calling for a repeal of the executive order that placed New York in a state of emergency following the COVID-19 outbreak. Gandolfo knows Executive Order 202 has outlived its usefulness. With positive COVID cases and hospitalizations down, Gandolfo wants to see life fully return to normal.

“The people of this state have fought hard and dutifully followed health guidance, which at times was not always coherant,” Gandolfo said. “Now that we’re at the end of the pandemic, there is no need for this state of emergency declaration. It’s time to get back to normal governance and repeal the governor’s emergency powers once and for all.”

Long Island has seen a steady decline in COVID positivity, with only a height of 0.4% of those tested being positive over the last seven days. “With such a low rate of positivity, this back-and-forth of mask mandate rules is both incoherent and confusing. This is just further evidence that the time has come to end this emergency declaration,” Gandolfo concluded.