Day one for Gov. Kathy Hochul in Albany is nearly a year and a half into a pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of New Yorkers and continues to hospitalize more than 2,000 people. 

Her first comes after a scandal-scarred former administration faces questions over how nursing home deaths were reported during the worst of the crisis last year. And it comes schools are set to reopen and businesses are warily eyeing the effect of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 that could scramble return-to-work plans. 

Hochul was sworn in at midnight as New York's 57th governor and the first woman to serve as the state's chief executive and Buffalo resident in more than a century. 

On Tuesday, she's set to hold a public swearing-in ceremony at the state Capitol in the ceremonial office of the governor known as the Red Room. Later in the morning, she will meet with the top leaders in the state Senate, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. 

She replaces Andrew Cuomo, the governor for the last decade who led New York with nearly unquestioned power for a decade, only to resign this month amid a sexual harassment scandal that had simmered for most of 2021. 

Steeped in the world of local government in Erie County, Hochul has pledged to take a more collaborative approach on the pandemic than her predecessor. 

Cuomo continues to face investigations stemming from how his administration reported nursing home fatalities and where those residents died as well as a criminal probe by the Albany County sheriff following an allegation of inappropriate touching. Attorney General Letitia James's office is investigating his office's alleged use of government resources to help him write a book about the pandemic.

Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing, and in a defiant farewell speech, said the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation made for a media frenzy he couldn't overcome.  

Hochul has already sought to assert herself stylistically different from Cuomo. She's pledged there won't be the kind of bullying tactics from her office that had for many become a hallmark of the Cuomo years in Albany. 

"The past year and a half has been a difficult and uncertain chapter in our state’s history and, unfortunately, we’re not out of the woods yet," said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. "With much work left to do and many challenges ahead, I’m optimistic that our new governor will bring us a fresh perspective and a collaborative relationship with the Legislature to move our state forward. It’s imperative that we work together to restore our highest state office to one of honesty, integrity and respect."

Hochul has already indicated she will run for a full term next year and plans to announce her choice for lieutenant governor later this week. Her No. 2 is expected to be from New York City, and will likely be a person of color, and several names have been floated from the state Legislature, including Sens. Jamaal Bailey and Brian Benjamin as well as Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte. 

But for New Yorkers, the key issue facing the state likely remains the pandemic, the uncertain path forward with the recovery of the economy and the reopening. 

Billions of dollars in rental assistance has been slow to get out the door to landlords and tenants in order to stave off evictions. A moratorium on evictions is set to expire at the end of the month, and a portion of it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Hochul has also pledged to provide aid to undocumented New Yorkers who were not included in a round of federal pandemic aid. 

Meanwhile, lawmakers and union officials urged Hochul on Monday to speed up the implementation of a new law meant to put health and safety standards in place to prevent the spread of diseases like COVID-19 as part of a law known as the NY Hero Act. 

“We are writing to express our deep concern that the Department of Health has failed to take the critical step to protect public health by not requiring employers to implement the basic worksite protections that the NY HERO Act was designed to address,” a letter from a coalition of advocates and labor unions stated.

Hochul has already indicated a mask mandate will be put in place for schools for vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike. The officials who held office in the Cuomo administration — including Health Commissioner Howard Zucker — are expected to stay on for at least 45 days. 

Her administration is already facing questions over hiring those with ties to lobbyists. Her top aide or secretary to the governor, Karen Keogh, is married to a partner at Bolton St. John's, a major lobbying firm.

“Recusals will be put in place by midnight to ensure that any New York State business relating to the secretary’s spouse will be delegated in order to prevent any appearance of conflicts of interest," said Hochul spokeswoman Haley Viccaro. 

It also remains to be seen how Hochul will address issues like the rise in violent crime — especially shootings — in communities around New York. 

“We all know the challenges facing New Yorkers are immense," said Sen. John Mannion. "The pandemic rages on, confusion and concern abound as schools work to safely welcome back students and faculty, an ever-growing crisis of overdose and addiction, the need to get billions in rental assistance out the door, and a workforce crisis among those who care for disabled New Yorkers that is spiraling out of control."