COVID-19
Cuomo threatens to fine de Blasio over NYC COVID-19 enforcement
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: ‘They need to enforce the law’
New York City is seeing the largest spike in positive coronavirus cases since July, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is not taking the situation lightly. The New York governor threatened to fine the city and other municipalities over failure to enforce state coronavirus restrictions Friday, as outbreaks of the virus continue to worsen in Brooklyn and Queens.
The $10,000 a day fine that Cuomo is threatening to levy against City Hall is comparatively small, but it provides yet another example of the governor’s mounting frustration with Mayor de Blasio’s management of the crisis or lack thereof.
“These hotspot ZIP codes, the numbers are continuing to go up in many of these zip codes,” Cuomo told reporters via a telephone press briefing, according to the New York Post.
“That means by definition compliance is not where it needs to be,” he added. “That’s how the virus spreads, they need to enforce the law.”
With the growing case numbers, health officials are tracking four large outbreaks, specifically the two large clusters in Brooklyn.
Despite Cuomo’s growing rage, de Blasio seemed rather nonchalant about the severity of the city’s case numbers, arguing that the outbreak is still largely contained to 11 zip codes.
“The city of New York, right now, outside of those 11 neighborhoods – 1.08 percent [positive test rate],” de Blasio said on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer show. “Just exactly where we have been and very, very favorable; the kind of low-level positivity that any place else in the country would want.”
De Blasio continued to say that city agencies would firm up on the enforcement of social distancing protocols in the specific cluster neighborhoods.
“In these neighborhoods, we’re doing more and more intense enforcement,” the mayor said. “I don’t want to see a shutdown in these neighborhoods, but we’ve been very clear now for many days and community leaders heard it and they know it that that is a live possibility if we don’t see a turn around in these numbers soon.”
Many of the positive case numbers in Brooklyn and Queens are focused in neighborhoods with large Orthodox Jewish populations where officials have struggled to conduct outreach and enforcement during the pandemic, according to the New York Post.
As case numbers continue to rise in the Big Apple, Cuomo and de Blasio will continue to butt heads until a consensus is reached.
And if de Blasio wants to avoid reaching into his pockets to pay the fine, he’d better enforce the promised changes, quickly.
On Thursday, the Biden administration announced that children under 5 will be able to get their first COVID-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if regulators authorize the shots for this age group as expected.
According to the Associated Press, White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha “said the Food and Drug Administration’s outside panel of advisers will meet on June 14-15 to evaluate the Pfizer and Moderna shots for younger kids. Shipments to doctors’ offices and pediatric care facilities would begin soon after FDA authorization, with the first shots possible the following week.”
Jha added that states can begin placing orders for the pediatric vaccines on Friday and the administration will initially have 10 million doses available.
“Our expectation is that within weeks every parent who wants their child to get vaccinated will be able to get an appointment,” Jha said. “At the end of the day we all want to move fast, but we’ve got to get it right.”
The news comes the week after Pfizer announced that three doses of their vaccine offers strong protection against COVID-19 in children under 5. However, according to former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a third dose is unnecessary because the vaccines do not prevent infection.
“I think the decision matrix has changed around the vaccine for [ages] 6 months to 4 years old and so far as we know that the vaccine isn’t as protective at preventing infection,” Gottlieb said. “Previously, we had data showing that the childhood vaccine for 6 months to 4 years wasn’t as protective against infection as the adult vaccine.”
“That’s the reason why they pushed it out and asked for that third dose. But now, if the goal of the vaccine is to get baseline immunity in the kids to prevent really bad outcomes, and you’re really not using the vaccine as a tool to prevent infection in the first place, two doses could do that,” he added.
On Tuesday, the White House announced that Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for COVID-19 and is not currently showing symptoms.
“Today, Vice President Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on rapid and PCR tests,” said Kirsten Allen, press secretary to the vice president. “She has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence. She has not been a close contact to the President or First Lady due to their respective recent travel schedules. She will follow CDC guidelines and the advice of her physicians. The Vice President will return to the White House when she tests negative.”
Harris wrote on Twitter that she was going to continue to isolate and is showing no symptoms.
“Today I tested positive for COVID-19. I have no symptoms, and I will continue to isolate and follow CDC guidelines. I’m grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted,” Harris tweeted.
Today I tested positive for COVID-19. I have no symptoms, and I will continue to isolate and follow CDC guidelines. I’m grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 26, 2022
Harris last reportedly saw President Biden at the Easter Egg Roll on April 18 before leaving for California, which she returned from on April 25.
The vice president has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and has received two booster shots, receiving the second booster on April 1.
“Yesterday I received my second COVID-19 booster shot,” Harris tweeted on April 2. “We know that getting vaccinated is the best form of protection from this virus and boosters are critical in providing an additional level of protection. If you haven’t received your first booster—do it today.”
Yesterday I received my second COVID-19 booster shot. We know that getting vaccinated is the best form of protection from this virus and boosters are critical in providing an additional level of protection. If you haven’t received your first booster—do it today.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 2, 2022
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WILLIAMDTIPTON
October 2, 2020 at 8:19 pm
WHATS NEW?
DEBLASIO WAS THE IDIOT WHO TOLD NYERS THAT THE VIRUS WASNT VERY CONTAGIOUS AND WASNT ANY WORSE THAN THE COMMON FLU.
Susanna
October 2, 2020 at 11:13 pm
DeBlasio is an idiot!
Rance Arnold
October 3, 2020 at 11:18 am
Well yes, but Tbf, so did fauchi and the WHO.