5: 41 pm
With his statement Thursday that New york city would continue its “pause” till May 15, it ended up being clear that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has actually lost control of the crisis– which he hitherto had such command over.
The issue, in a nutshell, is that the blanket policy divides organisations into “essential” and “inessential.” The better frame is to divide businesses that can operate securely and those that can’t.
Cuomo’s totalizing method, additionally, stops working to distinguish between Manhattan (population: 1.6 million) and Morehouse, NY (population: 77).
Cuomo had been a soothing force, bringing serene authority to an anxious moment, specifically when compared to our unpredictable mayor and combative president. Now we need more than serenity and confidence. We need a roadmap back to normal. Cuomo has stopped working to produce any such thing.
Spare us the Papa jokes and Boomer referrals, Guv. People are dying throughout the state; others are horrified of financial collapse and joblessness.
Cuomo’s main Web site promotes the Thursday news conference as one in which the guv “detailed a plan to un-pause New york city.” Where, precisely, is that plan?
It appears more like a blueprint to at some point develop a plan.
It doesn’t help that the lockdown rules do not rather use equally to everybody. Cuomo’s bro, Chris, came down with COVID-19 and has been relaying his CNN program– featuring grossly obsequious coverage of the governor– from his home in Southampton.
Recently, Chris revealed that his wife, Cristina, had likewise tested favorable for the virus. Who understands how that taken place? It’s disconcerting enough that Chris has actually blatantly not been quarantining.
A few days before the statement about his other half, Chris was seen in East Hampton, a 30- minute drive from his house, checking out a home of his that is under building. He had a verbal altercation with a bicyclist who, properly, asked what he was doing outdoors.
The guv was on Chris’ program Thursday and sympathized about Cristina’s medical diagnosis but stated it was inescapable, since “it’s extremely hard for a person to quarantine in a house, and other individuals not to get it.” Maybe the guv should clarify what it means to quarantine, as either most Brand-new Yorkers do not understand what it implies– or his own kid brother doesn’t.
Consistency matters.
” Everyone asks when it’s over,” the guv has said. “It’s over when you have a vaccine. And that’s 12 to 18 months away.”
If the guv is planning to keep us locked down for more than a year– with huge exceptions made for his popular brother to visit his construction task when he feels like it– he requires to say so now.
If he isn’t, he needs to be specific about how and when we will be resuming. A great model to follow might be Europe’s phased resuming, beginning with small companies that can be bought from without compromising social distancing.
We are past the soothing phase.
Twitter: @Karol
