Cuomo adds hotel workers to list of vaccine-eligible

The Jefferson Clinton Hotel in downtown Syracuse. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that hotel workers are now eligible to receive a vaccine to protect against COVID-19. (Photo by Adam Rombel/ CNYBJ)

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to hotel workers.

The governor is giving local governments the flexibility to add hotel staff to the 1B vaccine-prioritization group.

Hotels in many parts of New York state are quarantine sites for coronavirus-positive people to isolate from their families, he notes. This exposes hotel workers to COVID regularly.

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Other hospitality industry workers such as restaurant workers, food-delivery drivers, and for-hire drivers (Uber or Lyft, for example) had previously been made eligible for a vaccine.

Cuomo also announced Friday that 179,038 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the state in the last day, a new one-day high. Nearly 4.2 million total shots have gone into arms in New York since the vaccine campaign started.

Adam Rombel: