Another 474 New Yorkers died of coroanvirus yesterday, bringing the state’s total death toll to 15,302. The daily death toll has dropped somewhat from last week, but it remains alarmingly high.
It was the third day in a row that fewer than 500 deaths were reported, an indication that the outbreak is stabilizing after several days where nearly 800 people died.
Mr. Cuomo also said that the president had committed to helping New York State double its testing capacity to 40,000 tests a day, including both diagnostic and antibody tests. “We spoke truth, we spoke facts, we made decisions and we have a plan going forward,” Mr. Cuomo said.
While New York can do 20,000 tests day, the governor has said that testing needs to increase sharply before restrictions on business and public life can be lifted.
The governor said at his Wednesday morning briefing that the president had agreed to work to waive the standard agreement in which a state has to pay for 25 percent of the funding it gets from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg is helping the state develop a testing and tracing program.New York officials said Bloomberg would donate about $10 million to the effort, which would be focused on identifying and isolating new coronavirus cases to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Cuomo said he thought it was “madness” that the US is “wholly dependent on China” for the production of medical equipment.
Andrew Cuomo criticized the arguments from demonstrators who are protesting his stay-at-home order outside the state capitol. A reporter who spoke to some of the protesters said they have complained of economic harship due to the crisis, and they argued “the cure cannot be worse than the illness.” Cuomo replied, “How can the cure be worse than the illness if the illness is potential death?” The governor asked the protesters to understand that they had to consider the health of others, not just themselves. “It’s not just about you,” Cuomo said. “You have a responsibility to me.” He suggested the protesters should take “essential worker” jobs
Cuomo said he would not allow political pressure to determine the timetable on when to reopen the economy.“This is not going to be over anytime soon,” Cuomo said of social-distancing restrictions, warning the state risked a surge in coronavirus cases if they became complacent. Cuomo acknowledged the current situation is “unsustainable,” but he added, “I also know more people will die if we are not smart.”
Cuomo told his fellow New York elected officials, “We can’t make a bad decision. Frankly, this is no time to act stupidly. Period. I don’t know how else to say it.”
