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In her first address as governor, delivered on Tuesday, Aug. 24, Hochul addressed getting all school personnel vaccinated for COVID-19, improving the vaccination rate in the state, and getting New Yorkers back to work as the battle with the Delta variant of the virus rages.
“To the New Yorkers who are yet to meet me, I’ll say this - you may not know me, but I know you,” she said. “In my travels to all 62 counties in the past few years, I’ve heard your stories, and I’ve been in the trenches with you.
“I want you to know you are heard … And I am ready to get to work as your governor and to solve the big issue this state faces. Your priority is my priority.”
Hochul said that with the FDA giving full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, she wants all school personnel to get vaccinated, or else face weekly testing.
Masks will also be required for anyone entering school buildings.
“We need to get our children back to school so they can learn and everyone is safe,” she said. “For months, I’ve been consulting with parents, elected officials, teachers, school boards, and superintendents.
“As a result, we need to require vaccinations for all school personnel with the option to opt-out weekly. We need partnerships with all levels of government, and we’re working on that to get this done.”
Hochul also vowed to get direct aid to New Yorkers as quickly as possible and to change what had been described as a “toxic workplace” in Albany under Cuomo. She also said that sensitivity and sexual harassment training for state employees will be done live in-person and not virtually.
“We’re going to focus on an open and ethical government that New Yorkers can trust,“ she said. “I want accountability, and instructed our counsel to come up with an expedited process to fill FOIL requests as fast as possible.
“It’s an overhaul of state government policies on sexual harassment and ethics, and all training will be done live instead of letting them click through a class,” Hochul continued. “A hallmark of my administration will be transparency.”
Hochul, New York’s 57th - and first female - governor, concluded her address by saying that “to achieve all this and so much more, we must work together among every corner of this state to have a fresh and collaborative approach.
“This is our time. This is our time to escape the oppression of a deadly virus and have our schools and workplaces safe to return … To build trust between communities and law enforcement … To address the root problems of crime and keep residents safe.
“Today for the first time in New York history, a woman will enter the arena as governor. I will undertake the weight of responsibilities before me,” Hochul said. “As I undertake the weight of responsibilities before me, I have the strength and courage to lead New Yorkers forward and make New York’s women proud.
“I invite you to join me in this fight for our future and ask for your faith in m and for your prayers.”
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