NY Gov. Cuomo Calling for Economy to Reopen After His Pandemic Lockdowns Sicken State’s Economy
About nine months too late for many small businesses.
During his “state of the state” address, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told residents he intends to safely reopen the state’s economy despite an increasing number of confirmed coronavirus cases.
The Democratic governor put a heavy emphasis on planning the state’s “economic resurgence,” even as it faces a record-setting budget deficit.
“We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass – the cost is too high,” Cuomo said in his address. “We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.”
Cuomo added that the plan was to use COVID-19 testing to enable the reopening of restaurants, arts centers, and theaters.
Without making moves now, Cuomo gravely forecast that the state would have “nothing left to open.”
We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass. The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.#SOTS2021
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 11, 2021
Sadly, the move comes nine months too late for many of New York’s smaller businesses. But few lockdown skeptics are likely surprised at the timing, which corresponds to President Donald Trump’s administration’s official end.
The focus of Cuomo’s grand and new vision is vaccination.
“First, we must defeat COVID and beat back the assault as the virus rages in these next few months. It will not be easy. High-performing hospital system as well as the diligence of New Yorkers are the keys to stop the spread,” he said.
“Second, the vaccine will end the COVID crisis. We must vaccinate 70% to 90%, and we must do it safely and fairly. We must also learn the glaring and costly lessons of America’s failed public health system, so we are better prepared for the next time … Third, we must deal with the short-term economic crisis. A record $15 billion state deficit,” he continued.
The social media commentary focused on the tardy nature of this conclusion and the political nature of the announcement.
Republicans have only been saying this for a year now.
— Phil (@philllosoraptor) January 11, 2021
This is exactly what Republicans have said for months and your party said we were grandma killers all while they ignored that you actually killed grandmas. Convenient timing for you to join us in reality just in time to give Biden the credit for a rebound.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 11, 2021
Ah, thanks for the 8 months of saying the exact opposite.
— Gianbattista (@gbtiepolo1) January 11, 2021
Sadly for the Empire State’s remaining residents, the other priorities are green energy and social justice.
“Fifth, we must seize the opportunity to make New York the global leader in the long overdue, economic shift to green energy. That is the smart thing to do. That is the right thing to do and it will create thousands of good, secure jobs,” said Cuomo.
“Sixth, we must be the first to anticipate how COVID will transform our society and economy and we must capitalize on those coming changes,” said Cuomo.
“Seventh, we must address the systemic injustices exposed during this year’s low-tide in America: the inequity, the racism and the social abuse. And my friends, if that wasn’t ambitious enough, all of these plans must move forward simultaneously,” said Cuomo. “It will be hard. It will be the greatest test for government since we mobilized to fight World War II. It will be the greatest opportunity for advancement since post-World World II. Today, I will address the first steps we must take.”
Karol Markowicz, a columnist at the New York Post, recently visited Florida. She gave her view of the more sensible and economy-friendly approach of the Sunshine State.
Stepping off the plane, we noticed something odd: Everyone was, in fact, masked. And keeping their distance. There was hand sanitizer everywhere. The COVID “Mad Max” world was nowhere to be found. Yes, everything was open, but precautions-wise, southern Florida looked a lot like New York.
The main difference: Masks aren’t worn in no-risk situations. In Gotham, it’s very common to see people masked even when all alone on empty streets. Small children wear masks outside. In Florida, we saw maskless children playing together outside. It looked like the Before Times.
…It’s a lie, though, that Floridians aren’t taking the novel coronavirus seriously. What they have done is discard the policies that don’t work, while retaining the ones that do.
Given Cuomo’s complete list of 2021 priorities, I sense many New Yorkers will be voting with their feet and heading to Florida on a more permanent basis.
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Comments
Thank God. Maybe these people will stop coming to Florida now with their fake handicap parking plaques.
The new conoravirus cases are now higher than any time, so this idiot decides he can kill more folks by opening now.
Are we really seeing cases jump? When I review the NC Covid19 dashboard I see that the numbers of tests dropped significantly over the long Christmas weekend and the long New Years Weekend. And, then testing jumped on the following weeks. The Result of moving 1 weeks worth of testing into a 3 day stretch is that we see record daily cases for those days.
Yes, Biden will be president on the 20th. Need to get those economic numbers positive now.
Sometimes the little people need to be sacrificed for the greater good, either to destroy trump, or boost up economic performance.
May I humbly suggest he just put a 99% wealth tax on Jeff Bezos vice sticking all US residents, almost every single one poorer than Jeff Bezos, with a bailout bill for his malicious mal-management of his state.
Like most, if not all of the super-rich, his wealth is in his stock and not taxable until/unless he sells it – unless the Marxist Dems get their desired tax on net worth, and you know that’s never going to fly.
My humble suggestions was indeed, for a wealth tax, not an income tax. I don’t think he needs more than $1 billion. Certainly, his wife did not.
I’m not a fan of singling out people for extra taxes, but I do think a fair or flat tax would be good. Everyone pays (say) 10% of their gross income in taxes, including businesses (no tax shelters, no harbors, no run arounds). No Congressional waivers (they exclude themselves and their staff from the laws they pass–this needs to be fixed, too. If they had to abide by the laws they pass, they would pass better laws.).
There is no reason our tax code needs to be hundreds of thousands of pages; it’s ridiculous and harms only the middle classes. As intended.
Florida is and has been (mostly) open, and our death rate is below that of locked down California (and New York). Opening is a good thing and necessary for a number of reasons.
“Opening is a good thing and necessary for a number of reasons.”
Including saving Cuomo’s political butt.
That his impetus is base and selfish doesn’t make the decision to open bad. It just makes him a disgusting phony, but we knew that already.
If Trump was still going to be President, Cuomo would keep NY closed down. People living ot dying is not relevant to people like this.
He is doing this to help Biden/Harris so they can claim they fixed the economy.
Phony and false, sure. but the MSM, NPR etc will headline that all day long.
So? Opening is a good thing, everyone should be doing it as Florida has. We have plenty of reasons to loathe Cuomo, why suddenly argue against opening just because he’s suddenly for it, even if for the wrong reasons? This is how the left operates, let’s not stoop into their toxic sewers of blind derangement.
You can’t tell anything by claimed death rates anyway. Only a tiny fraction can be actually attributed to COVID and not some underlying morbidity.
That’s true, but I still think opening is best all around given the undisputed 99% survival rate. People can still wear masks, socially distance, stay home, avoid restaurants, etc. It’s not like opening means you suddenly CAN’T take whatever precautions you deem best in your and your family’s given situation.
I wish you could convince Abbott of that. We’re still dealing with lockdowns of some “nonessential” businesses, like bars – as if bartenders and wait staff don’t actually need to eat too.
We had capacity restrictions on restaurants and bars until sometime in late August, maybe September (I don’t recall the exact date of the lift on those), but they had been allowed to be open without crazy outdoor restrictions, plexiglass barriers, or bumper boats around diners’ waists.
I’m not really sure why Abbott is doing that, but you need to speak up to him and get everyone you know to do it, too. There’s just no point to shutting down restaurants, when even in NYC, they account for some low single digit amount of spread (of a virus that has a 99% survival rate). DeSantis saw the data and said, to hell with that. (Well, I don’t know if actually uttered those words, but he’s been a great governor through this crazy . . . and don’t think I don’t thank the good Lord for DeSantis defeating that commie reprobate Gillium. We could have been in utter hell, on par with Whitmer’s tyranny, if he had won).
Look for a Technical change in the way that Covid19 testing is counted. I believe we will see a false positive factor will be subtracted from the total number of CV19 cases.
This will reduce the number of total CV19 cases and make it appear that the new Administration is fixing the problem.
Or just clinical admissions into a hospital.
BTW, where is the flu this year?
I know two people with a positive Flu diagnosis – which they only got after two negative Coronavirus tests each.
It’s called the cycle threshold and they’ll push it under 20 where it should have been the entire time, that will get rid of most of the false positives.
They’ve been promising those thousands of secure, good-paying jobs for years (Obama). Yet I know people who would believe this.
Well, you must admit that Cuomo did supply a lot of Shovel-Ready jobs to gravediggers.
Not that many anymore, but I expect he did help spur the backhoe market.
Jobs, until the Solyndras and Tonopahs (NV) go bankrupt.
As a Florida resident I don’t want these New Yorkers coming here with their NorthEast political values that would quickly destroy our state.
Justice for Ashli Babbitt!
Perhaps painted with too broad of a brush. The people west and north of Albany and the Hudson River are largely sane, respectful conservative-type people. The folks you’d be worried about mostly live south and east of Albany. Important difference if you’re not a “down-stater”.
pretty close, I’m originally from the Albany area, NY is nowhere near what I believe in. One more thing, I believe Cuomo is handling the vaccine rollout as well as he handled the wuhan virus.
You do know what’s going on in NY-22, right?
Did you see that Disney is moving a chunk of their business to Florida? You’re about to get inundated by Californians, just like the western states.
So the Wuflu is suddenly going to be “cured” on January 20? Even though the number of cases and the death toll is rising?
Reminds me of the way William Jefferson Clinton “solved” the homeless crisis. The media quit covering the issue even though nothing changed.
Absolutely. Crank down the ridiculous PCR amplification numbers that are generating 90% false positives and voila, Biden-Harris are lifesavers! You don’t need to actually do anything about infection rates.
What’s he running for? It’s too early for the next presidential election.
Senate?
No one else sees it?
Opening the economy with one huge caveat….mandatory vaccines
Apparently he’s screwed up distribution so badly, a lot of the vaccine expired before it could be used.
Not sure how he expects businesses he and Bozo closed down, that owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent, to landlords that owe millions in back mortgage payments are supposed to recover. Sure the parasitic banks and the stock brokerages will still be there, but expect little else for a long while. People have moved on.
Obviously, this will cut into the number of Orthodox Jews that Mayor Bill DeBolshevik will be able to bully.
To be honest, I would just prefer NY, especially NYC to stay locked down. What he wanted, good and hard.
Subotai Bahadur
Always suspected the tin pot dictators would stop the draconian shutdowns as soon as Trump was gone.
Btw according to John’s Hopkins NY yesterday has 39,834 deaths, 202 more than the day before so good chance by tomorrow morning will top 40,000.
Yeah, about that rice rabies nonsense.
Washington commie rep jayapal blaming the repubs for not wearing a mask when the people came to the capitol.
Seems she was videoed hiding behind the kneewall of the upper seats without a mask for the entire video.
Dems are going to make elections a thing of the past while they have the power these next two years.
He got the election results he wants, so there’s no need to walk the people down any further. The new administration, Congress, and Senate, will take care of that for him.