Large crowds gathered outside Albany capital to protest COVID Mandates as governor Kathy Hall Hochul gave her first State of the State address.

Hochul has imposed several COVID-19 restrictions since taking office in August after the resignation of former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
These restriction include a statewide mask mandate for all indoor public places unless a business or event venue has implemented a vaccine requirement.

The governor has also required state healthcare workers to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the mandate in December.

These heavy mandates have resulted in a population decline and what Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt declared as the "greatest threat to New York State and our future viability." Hochul addressed these issues by stating, "My agenda reflects my belief that we cannot allow the virus to grip us so tightly that it constrains us from looking to the future. To those who left temporarily because of the pandemic, or are trying to decide their next steps during these uncertain times, I have one message: You do not want to miss what is about to happen next."