NEW YORK CITY—New York City mayoral candidate and former governor Andrew Cuomo has responded to criticism from other candidates who banded together at a rally, calling for him to take responsibility for his alleged mishandling of COVID-19 policies at nursing homes during the pandemic.
On March 23, electoral candidates from the Democratic and the Republican parties gathered in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, to denounce Cuomo’s decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayoral candidates at the rally included Democratic runners Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander, Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos, and former Comptroller Scott Stringer. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, and independent Jim Walden also attended.
The Olson Group also found that between April 2020 and February 2021, Cuomo’s administration undercounted nursing home deaths during the pandemic by 4,100.
The report concluded that while the order and other policies related to nursing homes were “rushed and uncoordinated,” they “ultimately provided appropriate guidance that was consistent with universal best practices in congregate care and accurately reflected the best understanding of the scientific community at the time they were issued.”
Auditors said New York state correctly took a “proactive stance” on many pandemic-era measures, such as vaccinating the elderly and mass testing, and that the outcomes in nursing homes “were not substantially inconsistent with overall performance in such facilities nationwide.”
The event in Cobble Hill was organized by families who have been calling for Cuomo to apologize for his role in the deaths of their relatives. Cuomo has maintained that he was not responsible for the deaths, and that an unnamed staff member of his administration was the origin of the order, saying that neither he nor his department of health commissioner had authorized the order.
The candidates called for Cuomo to address the families and take responsibility. Several said they would continue to shine a light on his alleged history of ethical issues and sexual harassment accusations, which Cuomo denies.
Cuomo has been the front-runner of the race so far, polling highest in favorability and garnering support from many political leaders in the city.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi dismissed the criticisms of the former governor in a statement on March 24.
“According to the [Department of Justice inspector general], the State Attorney General and New York State’s COVID-19 After Action Report, the state’s nursing home admission guidance was consistent with federal guidance, was similar to guidance issued in a dozen Republican and Democratic-led states, and there has been no credible empirical evidence that concludes it caused additional deaths,” Azzopardi stated.
“This matter was investigated by the Department of Justice three times and the Manhattan DA who closed their investigations as a result of no finding of wrongdoing, while civil litigation brought by the organizers of today’s event has also been dismissed.”
Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election, also criticized Cuomo on his handling of COVID-19 at a media availability event on March 24. “He incorrectly handled the nursing home issues,” Adams said. “But also, if you go back doing the analysis, back then, there was racial disparity in how we dealt with even vaccines. You know, black and brown communities were not being fairly vaccinated.”
