Governor Andrew Cuomo says New York is planning for a gradual emergence from the coronavirus shutdown, but he says getting back to an open economy depends on a couple of things that aren’t under state control: gearing up a massive testing program, and providing unrestricted federal aid to state goverments who are responsible for reopening their own states.
Cuomo says reopen too fast and we’ll be right back where we are now, with 2,000 new coronavirus infections and more than 600 deaths per day.
Cuomo says while states are responsible for deciding when to restore going out in public and economic activity, only the federal government can gear up the massive testing program needed to let state authorities know how many people are infected and how many are exposed and have recovered.
Cuomo also says we should consider if our new normal should look like the old normal. As society changed after 9/11, he says it will change after the pandemic is over. Cuomo says perhaps not everyone needs to go back to working from the office if they can work just as well from home, and perhps public transit and public gatherings should be adjusted to match.