Kathy Hochul delivers first address as N.Y. Gov.

August 24, 2021 Carley Joanou US 0

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks after taking her ceremonial oath of office at the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks after taking her ceremonial oath of office at the New York State Capitol on August 24, 2021 in Albany, New York.

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UPDATED 7:11 PM PT – Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Newly sworn in Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) laid out her short term agenda as she has taken the helm of the Empire State. In her very first virtual address on Tuesday, Hochul promised a new era of transparency after the bombshell results of the attorney general’s independent investigation this month of then Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexual harassments on multiple women.

“Get this state working again, focused without distractions,” she announced. “That begins with a dramatic change in culture, accountability and no tolerance for individuals who cross the line.”

The newly-instated New York governor also touched on COVID-19 safety as the Delta and Lambda variants have made headway throughout the U.S. Wasting no time, Hochul said she planned to place a new statewide mask mandate in public schools as well as a vaccine mandate for all staff and teachers.

Delivering my first address as Governor to the people of New York. Watch: https://t.co/U2iNYfCBKZ

— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) August 24, 2021

Guidance from the state would be released on her COVID-19 response at the end of the week. Meanwhile, Hochul called on all levels of government to execute these actions.

“To accomplish this in New York, we need partnerships with all levels of government and I’m working now on getting this done,” she explained. “New York is launching a back to school COVID-19 testing program to make testing for students and staff widely available and convenient. I’m also directing the Department of Health to institute universal masking for anyone entering our schools.”

Hochul went on to call these policies concise and consistent while claiming they would directly give school boards what they have asking for all along. Meanwhile, New York is still reeling from a limp economy with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting an unemployment rate at 7.6 percent.