New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin has tested positive for COVID-19 — just days after attending the state Democratic Party’s convention featuring Gov. Kathy Hochul and Hillary Clinton.
“I tested positive for COVID today. Thankfully, I’m vaxxed, boosted, and in good spirits, since I’m only experiencing mild symptoms,” Benjamin said Sunday evening in a tweet.
The lieutenant governor addressed the convention Thursday, posting a video on Twitter of himself taking the stage while not wearing a mask.
He and Hochul later held hands on stage while both were maskless to acknowledge their party nominating them to their respective offices, a Twitter photo shows.
Afterward, a maskless Benjamin greeted people, including some with hugs, in the lobby of the convention, which was held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in Manhattan.
“I tested positive for COVID today. Thankfully, I’m vaxxed, boosted, and in good spirits,” NY Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin announced. Stephen YangRoughly half of the hundreds who gathered for the two-day Democratic convention masked up, while the rest did not. The event required attendees to be fully vaccinated but did not mandate masks. The city advises people to wear masks in an indoor public setting regardless of their vax status. The state’s own mask guidance for vaccinated people in indoor settings was not immediately clear.
Clinton — a former presidential candidate and US secretary of state, as well as ex-New York senator — delivered a speech at the event and only took her mask off to speak, said New York Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs to The Post on Monday.
Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin recently attended the New York Democratic Party’s convention featuring Gov. Kathy Hochul and Hillary Clinton. Stephen Yang“Everybody was masked around Secretary Clinton when she spoke,” Jacobs noted.
Jacobs added that all attendees were required to fill out a health questionnaire before entering and to show proof of full vaccination. Everyone also had their temperature taken at the door.
Benjamin — a former state senator — was announced in September as Gov. Hochul’s No. 2 shortly after she took over for disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. On Thursday, Benjamin officially won the unanimous support of New York’s Democratic Party to run for the next full term.
Roughly half of those who gathered for the two-day Democratic convention wore masks. Stephen YangHe added to his COVID-19 Twitter post Sunday, “Cat and our girls’ tests came back negative—praise God!” — referring to his wife Cathleen and daughters including Olivia, who was born in October.
“I’ll be isolating at home as they monitor for symptoms and get tested again in a few days,” the lieutenant governor said.
The state Democratic Party also nominated Hochul for governor.
Hochul’s press secretary, Hazel Crampton-Hays, told The Post by e-mail Monday, “The Governor gets tested regularly and has tested negative.
“She is grateful the Lieutenant Governor is experiencing mild symptoms and hopes he feels better soon.”






