Updates & Analysis

Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order 202.59, Requires DOH to Develop COVID-19 and Flu Testing Protocols On August 28th, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.59 (available here) which extends several provisions related to the COVID-19 emergency through September 27th. This includes a provision that permits a practitioner to establish a patient relationship using only a questionnaire for…

DOH Submits Amendment to Revise State Plan Based on COVID-19 Pandemic Today (August 27th), the New York State Department of Health (DOH) publicly posted a State Plan Amendment (SPA) which would, if approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), codify existing and make new adjustments to Medicaid operating and reimbursement policies in…

HHS Extends Provider Relief Fund Deadline to September 13th On August 25th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the deadline to apply for Phase 2 General Distribution Funding from the CARES Act’s Provider Relief Fund has been further extended to September 13th. Through the Phase 2 General Distribution, providers who bill…

Governor Cuomo Reports Low Infection Rate, Announces New Testing Initiatives  Today (August 24th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that New York’s COVID-19 infection rate yesterday was 0.66 percent, which is the lowest since the declared start of the pandemic. The State’s infection rate has now continuously been under 1 percent…

Governor Cuomo Announces Lowest Reported COVID-19 Infection Rate, New Testing Initiatives Today (August 17th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that of the 56,891 COVID-19 tests conducted yesterday, 408 were positive (0.71 percent). This is the lowest infection rate in New York State since the declared start of the pandemic. As…

Governor Cuomo Reports Steady COVID-19 Numbers in New York State, Announces that Schools Are Permitted to Reopen Statewide Today (August 10th), Governor Cuomo announced that of the 54,002 COVID-19 tests conducted yesterday, 476 were positive (0.88 percent). There were 535 total hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and 2 COVID-19 deaths reported yesterday. On August 7th, the…

Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order 202.55 Today (August 6th), Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.55 (available here), which extends the provisions of many previous orders through September 4th. The extended orders include Executive Orders 202 through 202.21, 202.27 through 202.30, and 202.38 through 202.40. More details on specific provisions are available in SPG’s updated Waiver Timeline Tracker.  Among…

Governor Cuomo Discusses Steady COVID-19 Status and DFS Action to Refund PPE Fees Today (August 5th), Governor Cuomo announced that New York is continuing to maintain a steady and low rate of COVID-19 infections, with a total of 636 new cases (0.87% of 72,668 tests reported yesterday). Rates of hospitalizations and deaths remain low. The Governor also announced that…

Governor Cuomo Announces Funding for Contact Tracing and Flu Prevention Today, Governor Cuomo announced that COVID-19 hospitalizations, infections, and deaths remain stable across New York State. There were 576 total hospitalizations yesterday and 5 deaths related to COVID-19. Of the 68,869 individuals tested yesterday, 644 (0.93 percent) were positive.On July 30th, the Governor announced over $30 million…

Senate Republicans Release COVID-19 Relief Package On July 27th, Senate Republicans unveiled a $1 trillion proposal for the next COVID-19 relief package. The bill includes a reduced unemployment benefit, as well as tax relief and liability protections for businesses – provisions that will likely be contended during negotiations with House and Senate Democrats. This proposal follows a $3 trillion…