Gov. Andrew Cuomo provides a coronavirus update during a press conference | Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says any economic restart has to be approached as a regional issue, adding that he has been in talks with governors from five other northeastern states about developing such a plan.
Cuomo said during his daily press briefing that he would make an announcement on Monday afternoon with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Cuomo has said before that he wants to begin planning for the reopening of businesses and schools in conjunction with New Jersey and Connecticut, home to hundreds of thousands of workers who commute to New York City.
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“The optimum is to have as coordinated a regional plan as you can,” Cuomo said. “It is smarter for everyone, for people of their state and for the people of my state and this is a time for smart, competent, effective government. Nothing else matters.”
The governor said he doesn’t think there will be complete coordination with other states, acknowledging that there could be different approaches in rural areas compared with denser urban areas.
Cuomo has pinned his hopes for reopening the economy in part on widespread testing, both for the coronavirus and the antibodies showing that a person already has been infected. He likened the reopening of the economy to slowly turning a valve, while keeping an eye on the “meter” of the infection rate.
“The economy is functioning, we never shut it off. We turned it way, way down,” Cuomo said. “You’ll turn that valve very slowly … Do it carefully, do it slowly and do it intelligently. More testing and more precautions.”
He also said there needs to be more precautions for essential workers who remain on the job. He announced on Sunday that the state will require employers to provide protective equipment to essential workers who interact with the public.
Cuomo warned residents not to become complacent. They should continue to maintain social distancing and precautions, he said.
“Do not reverse the progress that we have made in our zeal to reopen and get back to normal,” he said.
The state passed another grim milestone on Monday, with more than 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. The most worrying forecasts of the need for ventilators and hospital beds have not materialized, which Cuomo credited to the compliance with social distancing rules.
Cuomo said he was open to coordinating with additional neighboring states, such as Massachusetts and Vermont, but added that there was a balance with “the complexity and unwieldiness of coming up with a plan that we can agree on relatively quickly.”
“We need coordination with New Jersey and Connecticut first and foremost because that’s where our workforce comes from,” he said. “That’s the primary place for coordination.”
Cuomo stresses regional restart in talks with other states
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