New York Governor/ Local Governments at Odds on Post-Covid Crisis Reopening
Today is 52 days since the first case of the coronavirus appeared in New York State and, while the number of new cases is falling off, the state is not ready to reopen shuttered businesses.
Governor Andrew Cuomo April 20 acknowledged some local government leaders like Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon II have been talking about regional re-openings, he said “The state rule is now everything is closed and the state rule is they cannot take action that is contrary to that..” “everything is closed unless we say otherwise.”
Cuomo says just as no one knew how steep and long the assent would be when the pandemic hit New York 52 days ago, 93 days ago when it first appeared in the United States on the west coast, no one knows how long and steep the descent will be.
The Democrat says coordination and discipline is the key. He says “Government has to be smart and if it looks confused between the state and the county or the state and the town, that’s the wrong message for everyone.”
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is looking at a May 8 date to start easing pandemic restrictions.
Pennsylvania is part of a multi-state cooperative that also includes New York that is working to coordinate a gradual restart to the economy.
Wolf says that after May 8, the stay-at-home order might be lifted in some areas of the state where the coronavirus is not as great a threat.