Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and said that she will isolate and work remotely this week.
“Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and boosted, and I’m asymptomatic,” Hochul, 63, tweeted. “A reminder to all New Yorkers: get vaccinated and boosted, get tested, and stay home if you don’t feel well.”
The Democratic governor had tweeted a photo from the Olana State Historic Site near Hudson, New York, where she had gone to thank park personnel the day before.
According to the Associated Press, Hochul is at least the 18th governor of the United States to test positive for COVID-19. Several governors in the United States have tested positive in recent months, including Connecticut’s Ned Lamont and Maine’s Janet Mills in April. On his 100th day in office, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City tested positive.
Hochul’s positive test comes as the number of cases in New York continues to rise. Much of upstate New York has been in the high-alert orange zone for weeks, a designation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that indicates widespread disease.
Last Thursday, New York City crossed the “medium risk” threshold, signalling the spreading of the BA.2 subvariant that has swept the state’s northern reaches.
Melissa Lee is a British Journalist. She is an aspiring journalist with a natural curiosity in how the media functions. She resides in Edinburgh, Britain. She is currently working as a journalist at The Shining Media.
