Politics

Cuomo Continues To Blame Feds, Nursing Homes For Death Toll

Andrew Cuomo holds press conference. Screenshot/CNN

(Screenshot/CNN)

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed the federal government and the nursing homes for the coronavirus death toll in his state.

Cuomo suggested during a Monday press conference that he had been following federal guidance when he ordered nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients once they had been discharged from hospitals. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Chris Cuomo Asks If People Can Trust Data From Florida’s Governor)

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Cuomo began by saying that many of the nursing homes already had documented cases of COVID-19 before any patients came in from hospitals.

“Fact. Of the 613 nursing homes, we have 613 nursing homes in the state, 365 received a person from a hospital. Of the 365 that received a person from this March 25th guidance, which was then superseded in May, 98% of those 365 already had COVID in their facility. COVID did not get into the nursing homes by people coming from hospitals,” he said.

Cuomo went on to blame staffers and visitors, saying that he had initially followed the available science that suggested the virus could only be spread by people who were showing symptoms.

“The COVID got into the nursing homes by staff walking into the nursing home when we didn’t even know we had COVID,” Cuomo continued. “COVID may have been brought into a nursing home because visitors brought it in and didn’t know they were contagious because the guidance was you can only be contagious if you have symptoms.”

Critics and family members were quick to attack Cuomo after he spoke, calling for more investigations into what really happened.