Kinfolk of nursing residence residents who died from COVID-19 are demanding a “public assembly” with ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo over his dealing with of the pandemic — saying “he must face us” earlier than excited about one other run for workplace.
The households significantly need to grill Cuomo concerning the controversial March 2020 edict issued by his well being division directing nursing properties to confess or readmit recovering COVID-19 sufferers discharged from hospitals.
“The final time Andrew Cuomo was in energy, he made a disastrous determination that resulted in pointless struggling and now he must face us earlier than he even thinks about working for one more elected workplace,” mentioned Peter Arbeeny, whose father died from COVID after spending time in a nursing residence.
Representatives from the group Voice for Seniors and Fox Information Channel meteorologist Janice Dean are a part of the coalition desirous to grill Cuomo, who is claimed to be mulling a run for New York Metropolis mayor.
“He can’t outrun the reality. His directive defied federal steering from well being authorities after which contributed to the loss of life of 1000’s of his constituents,” charged Arbeeny.
“He has since lied about it, coated up the true penalties and refused to speak to us about it. That should finish in the present day.”
Arbeeny and the opposite households need the Cuomo assembly to be held on the Cobble Hill nursing residence the place 89-year-old Norman Arbeeny had resided.
The lifelong Brooklynite contracted the virus on the facility earlier than his loss of life at residence on April 21, 2020, his son has claimed.
The request comes after a Home Republican majority report final month accused Cuomo of committing “medical malpractice” and undercounting COVID-related nursing residence deaths in New York in the course of the pandemic.
The report additionally concluded that the ex-governor “seemingly gave false statements” throughout his testimony to the GOP-led Home Choose Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi responded that: “Greater than 2 million Individuals died from COVID and each single a kind of deaths is a tragedy whose ache their households really feel on a regular basis.”
However he added, “The actual fact is the DOJ Inspector Normal simply put out a report discovering that federal officers corruptly used the Division of Justice to focus on the Governor on COVID nursing residence protocols purely as a result of it was an excellent situation within the 2020 election – regardless that, because the IG discovered, New York was following federal steering and different states had a lot worse COVID an infection points of their nursing properties.”
The Cuomo rep additionally urged that Arbeeny is sore as a result of his household filed a wrongful loss of life pandemic-related lawsuit in opposition to the ex-government and misplaced. He additionally charged that Arbeeny hasn’t been telling the reality concerning the circumstances surrounding his father’s loss of life.
“The acts that got here out of that [case] clearly present the nursing residence he checked his father into didn’t admit a single COVID- optimistic affected person into their facility till three weeks after his father was discharged,” Azzopardi mentioned.
Cuomo resigned as governor in August 2021 — unrelated to his dealing with of the pandemic — amid a slew of sexual misconduct accusations, which he denies.
However current polls present that Cuomo can be the clear front-runner within the Democratic main for mayor, main all candidates together with incumbent Eric Adams by double digits.
Adams has been politically wounded by a federal corruption indictment and different scandals. He denies the fees and his legal trial is scheduled for the spring, earlier than the June 25 main.
Different candidates embody former metropolis Comptroller Scott Stringer, present Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, in addition to Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, amongst others.
Lander, for his half, has gone to bat for Arbeeny, a constituent when the comptroller was a councilman representing brownstone Brooklyn.
Final month, Lander requested that US well being officers within the Biden administration decide whether or not Cuomo’s March 25, 2020, violated federal coverage and steering — which some analysts declare contributed to 1000’s of aged deaths.
Cuomo’s rep mentioned it was “untimely” to debate a possible mayoral candidacy.
Arbeeny mentioned he’s voted up to now for Cuomo and his father, the late, three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo.
“I turned a Democrat due to Mario Cuomo. I’ve voted for Andrew Cuomo up to now however will I ever vote for him once more is the query?” Arbeeny mentioned.
“Why have been nursing properties the primary and solely possibility for six,000 NYC discharging hospital COVID sufferers, and never absolutely the final? We want solutions, and we want them now.”
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