Unique | Cuomo used damaging big-foot ways, secrecy in coping with NYC officers battling COVID: scathing examine

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Unique | Cuomo used damaging big-foot ways, secrecy in coping with NYC officers battling COVID: scathing examine


Mayoral candidate and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo used heavy-handed ways and secretiveness with Huge Apple officers as the town struggled to comprise the lethal COVID pandemic, a scathing new examine says.

Ex-Mayor Invoice de Blasio additionally will get dinged within the report, which was issued by a number of metropolis businesses that analyzed New York Metropolis’s dealing with of the well being disaster — and which particularly criticized the poisonous relationship between him and Cuomo.

“Coordination challenges between Governor Cuomo’s and Mayor de Blasio’s administrations impeded Metropolis-State collaboration and contributed to duplicative work, inconsistent suggestions, and a lack of belief from New Yorkers,” says the COVID-19 Response Evaluation Report masking January 2020 to July 2022 and obtained by The Submit.

Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo used heavy handed ways and secrecy when coping with de Blasio administration officers through the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a brand new report. Stephen Yang

The evaluation was ready by metropolis businesses — notably the Well being Division, Workplace of Emergency Administration and Well being+Hospitals — serving beneath Cuomo’s now-mayoral foe, Hizzoner Eric Adams.

Cuomo was accused within the report of big-footing Metropolis Corridor and unnecessarily micro-managing the town’s response.

“The Cuomo administration was reluctant to share knowledge with the Metropolis and infrequently refused to present advance warning of coverage adjustments and new directives,” the examine mentioned.

For instance, in March 2020, the state restricted the town’s entry to its Well being Emergency Response Knowledge System (HERDS), which tracks hospital capability throughout New York state, although the town traditionally had common entry.

“This restricted the Metropolis’s perception into hospital impacts and hindered its means to help the NYC healthcare system,” the report mentioned.

COVID-19 testing at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens on April 6, 2020. Dennis A. Clark

Don Weiss, the previous longtime “surveillance director” for the town Well being Division, mentioned state Well being Division officers he labored with for years advised him they weren’t alleged to share data.

“It was due to the pissing contest between Cuomo and de Blasio. It was ludicrous,” he mentioned.

A former state official mentioned Cuomo’s “robust dislike” of de Blasio actually was a difficulty however that officers in Albany and Metropolis Corridor nonetheless discovered “inventive methods” to quietly work collectively regardless of the nippiness between the 2 energy brokers.

State officers have been additionally “sluggish to launch vital pandemic-related steering,” the report mentioned — ensuing within the metropolis both releasing its personal steering or coverage which might later be outmoded by the state.

Refrigerated vans for victims of COVID stored in Brooklyn on Might 9, 2020. RICHARD HARBUS

The confusion “considerably impacted healthcare operations early within the pandemic,” the report mentioned. 

The disharmony spilled over into the essential COVID-19 vaccine distribution interval, the findings mentioned.

The town obtained its COVID-19 vaccine provide straight from the federal Facilities for Illness Management, because it had different vaccines.

However not like earlier vaccine campaigns, state approval was required for the town’s vaccine allocation and the Huge Apple’s distribution plan every week, which “created a further bureaucratic layer,” the report mentioned.

The “coordination challenges” between Cuomo and de Blasio led to a lack of belief amongst New Yorkers, the COVID-19 Response Evaluation Report discovered. John Roca

A former state official who requested anonymity mentioned Albany “micro-managed” the town’s vaccination program. 

The examine additionally pointed to “state and metropolis steering contradictions” as creating critical points.

De Blasio publicly introduced plans to shut colleges and non-essential companies due to a COVID-19 surge in elements of Brooklyn and Queens in October 2020.

However Cuomo, who had the authority to impose such measures, rejected the mayor’s plan and introduced his personal geographical areas and closures for the town to implement, the report mentioned.

Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, chairman of the New York Senate’s Well being Committee, mentioned Cuomo’s “big-footing everyone” was one of many causes he voted towards laws giving the governor emergency powers with out reporting again to the legislature.

“He’s an abusive bully,” mentioned Rivera, a Democrat together with Cuomo and Adams.

Cuomo defended his oversight of the pandemic within the metropolis as governor.

“Feeble makes an attempt to rewrite historical past now — 5 years later — within the midst of a political marketing campaign are as ineffective as they’re disingenuous,” the previous governor’s spokesman, Wealthy Azzopardi, advised The Submit. “New Yorkers know what occurred as a result of they have been there with us each step of the best way.

“Choices have been made and communicated in actual time because the information on the bottom stored altering and features of communication with native governments, together with the town, have been open to the most important extent sensible.”

The Cuomo rep mentioned a powerful state presence was wanted to help the town.

De Blasio and Mayor Eric Adams on the COVID-19 5 Yr Remembrance occasion in Elmhurst on March 14, 2025. Paul Martinka

“What’s forgotten right here is that your complete purpose a uniform hospital system was arrange within the first place was as a result of Elmhurst, a city-run hospital, almost collapsed and there was no plan from the town to redirect sufferers,” Azzopardi mentioned.

“The town wanted a supervisor then, and it does now. This was a once-in-a century pandemic and one would suppose any goal retrospective can be devoid of politics or political campaigns.”

However Gustavo additionally claimed Cuomo blocked vaccine clinics from opening his district to spite him, probably triggering extra deaths from COVID-19.

The Cuomo marketing campaign fired again with a listing of 5 vaccination websites within the northwest Bronx in 2021.

“Gustavo is a liar. The information are the information,” Azzopardi mentioned.

“He’s making an attempt to dam and deal with for his [Democratic Socialists of America] buddies.” 


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