WE’VE WON THE WAR
Emotional Cuomo praises New Yokers as city has green light for phase 2
An emotional Gov. Cuomo delivered his 111th consecutive daily coronavirus update on Friday, heaping praise on New Yorkers for their handling of the pandemic from the confines of his executive office.
The governor reflected on how the Empire State went from having more cases per capita than any other state or nation to controlling the virus better than anywhere in the world.
“It’s clear that over the past three months we have done the impossible,” he said. “We have done a full 180, from worst to first.”
Cuomo said that just 1,284 people are currently hospitalized with the virus and less than 1% of New York residents tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday as the state conducted a substantial 79,000 tests.
An average of 25 people died from coronavirus each day this week, compared to nearly 800 at the height of the outbreak.
Cuomo also formally announced that New York City will enter the second phase of of the state’s economic reopening plan next week, bringing the Big Apple one step closer to getting back on track after becoming the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S.
The governor grew emotional as he announced that the five boroughs had officially met the hospitalization, testing and healthcare metrics required to enter phase 2 on Monday.
“I am so incredibly proud of what we all did together and as a community,” Cuomo said. “If we could accomplish together what we did here, this impossible task of beating back this deadly virus, then there is nothing that we cannot do.”
The highlight of the next phase is that restaurants, after months of dormancy or being relegated to deliveries and takeout, will be allowed to host patrons for outside dining again. Indoor service still remains prohibited.
In-store shopping, administrative and office jobs, hair salons and barbershops can all reopen with strict safety measures in place including mandatory masks and efforts to keep employees and customers at least six feet apart.
Cuomo’s solo coronavirus swan song lasted roughly 10 minutes, a fraction of his often hour-long briefings, and did not feature his now-signature PowerPoint slides or any celebrity guests as has been common in recent weeks.
Instead, the governor delivered a somber address and showed a prepared video montage of clips, photos and excerpts from previous press conferences.
The presentation included clips of health care workers on the frontlines at overwhelmed hospitals, the governor in the Javits Center after it was transformed into a field hospital and an array of photos of Cuomo’s top aides at work.
“New York loves everyone. That’s why I love New York,”
he says in the video. “And at the end of the day, my friends, even if it is a long day, and this is a long day, love wins. Always.”
Cuomo’s legion of admirers could barely contain their emotions as they lamented the end of the governor’s daily appearances.
Fans of the press briefings, who self-identified as “cuomosexuals,” took to social media to fawn over the ever-present executive and his handling of the pandemic over the past three months.
“My husband asked what I’ll do without my Cuomo briefing every day and I told him what all the other #Cuomosexuals will do, watch reruns,” she tweeted.
The term “cuomosexual” was spawned by YouTube star Randy Rainbow in early April as New York became the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. He released a “Grease” parody in tribute to the governor called “Andy!”
A video for the song featuring Rainbow wearing a Danny Zuko-style wig and singing a riff on “Sandy” from the musical went viral and spawned the hashtag #cuomosexual.
In another tweet, Tammy Johnson thanked Cuomo for his leadership, tweeting that she and others “have come to rely on for our sanity, and our comfort through the worlds scariest time in over 100 years.”
Others openly admitted they were overcome by the occasion.
“I never thought in a million years I’d be this sad about not seeing Cuomo on TV every day,” wrote another user going by @AnnaLibri.
Nearly 25,000 New Yorkers have died from COVID-19, the worst death toll in the country, and the governor has taken heated criticism for his strict stay-at-home orders that shuttered businesses for months on end.
But Cuomo noted that New York, after enduring more than 100 days of anguish, is now headed in the right direction as many other states are seeing upticks in coronavirus infections after rushing to reopen their economies.
“More people will die and it doesn’t have to be that way,” Cuomo said, offering advice to other executives. “Be smart. Open the economy intelligently, and save lives at the same time. That’s what we showed works in New York.”