Rapid testing can bring back arts
Cuomo touts entertainment industry, web access for poor in State of State
ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo’s 2021 agenda includes resurrecting the devastated arts industry through rapid COVID testing and expanding affordable internet access across the state.
The governor delivered the second part of his State of the State address on Tuesday, focusing on the “return of the arts” amid the coronavirus pandemic and announcing a plan that would require internet companies in New York to offer high-speed internet service to low-income customers for $15 a month.
Following the success of a rapid testing pilot used to allow around 6,700 fans attend a Buffalo Bills playoff game last weekend, Cuomo said the state must build upon the program to revitalize the economy, reopen offices, Broadway theaters and art spaces as vaccinations efforts continue.
“There is a real opportunity for the place and the people who best and most quickly adapt to the post-COVID economy,” Cuomo said during the speech from the State Capitol’s War Room. “We will seize that opportunity. The vaccine is the weapon that will end the war, but it won’t hit critical mass until June, September or even December.
“Testing is the key to reopening our economy before the vaccine hits critical mass. Rapid testing poses great possibilities. It can be completed in as little as 15 minutes,” he added.
The governor also announced a public-private partnership that will organize pop-up performances and events across the state starting next month.
“We must act,” he said. “We cannot wait until summer to turn the lights back on for the arts. We will not let the curtain fall on their careers or our cities.”
The star-studded events will feature performances by the Ballet Hispanico, Arts Nova, the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the National Black Theatre as well appearances by Hugh Jackman, Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and Wynton Marsalis.
Events will be held at predominantly outdoor sites across the city and state, including St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn and the Park Ave. Armory.
Cuomo, who is delivering a total of four virtual speeches this week, told reporters earlier in the day that he wants to accelerate the return of the arts to cities across the state.
“What is a city without the culture and entertainment that makes a city, a city?” the governor said. “How do you use science and technology to start to open up theaters and restaurants, etc.”
Cuomo said the state will work with local real estate communities to open up rapid testing sites could enlist property owner and management companies to reopen “COVID-safe office buildings.”
Additionally, the governor stressed the importance of affordable internet for all amid a pandemic that has left millions working or attending classes from home.
While the state has expanded broadband access in recent years, Cuomo lamented that many low-income New Yorkers are stuck paying a minimum of $50 a month to access the World Wide Web.
The governor is pitching legislation that would not only require companies to offer high-speed internet service to low-income customers for $15 a month.