WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Governor Hochul announced a State of Emergency Friday night to prepare for, and attempt to avoid, a surge in the Omicron COVID variant. It’s a new strain of COVID-19 coming from Southern Africa.
Along with that executive order, the Department of Health is allowed to limit non-essential surgeries and procedures for hospitals at limited capacity.
The move, Hochul says, is to protect access to critical health care services.
The new protocols will begin Friday, December 3rd and will be reassessed in January.
The CDC said Friday that the Omicron variant hasn’t yet been detected in the United States, but Governor Hochul warns that it is coming.
She’s urging New Yorkers to get the vaccine and the booster if fully vaccinated.
Copyright 2021 WWNY. All rights reserved.
