New York State Economy Reopening Depends On Testing Capacity, Federal Aid - Cuomo

NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2020) New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that the reopening of the state's economy, following the shut down caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, will depend on the testing capacity and assistance provided by the Federal government.

"We have to start planning restarting life; we are not there yet... How do we restart our economy and get everything up and running as quickly as possible? My personal opinion is going to come down to how good we are with testing," Cuomo said during a press briefing.

He said it would be critical to be able to establish who had been infected with the virus, who had resolved it and, therefore, no longer contagious and who had never contracted the disease. For this purpose, New York is ready to start using an anti-body testing system if the food and Drug Administration approves it.

Additionally, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - the tri-state area that earlier enforced rules to shrink crowds sizes - will start working with private companies to develop rapid COVID-19 testing with results becoming available in less than 15 minutes.

Furthermore, Cuomo said, New York State needs federal help which would provide better relief than the previously approved $2 trillion stimulus package. He reiterated that the passed legislation did not take into account the revenue loss in New York, was "woefully inadequate," getting "worse and worse when you read it."

"I don't have the capacity as a governor to generate revenue in a positive way from an economy that's not operating. That is going to be a federal stimulus bill," he pointed out.

The governor added that he would be sending a letter to New York's congressional delegation later in the day, saying that the previous legislation "did good for the nation... But it was not fair to New York."

As of Tuesday, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the US most impacted state has reached 138,836, while 5,489 New Yorkers have passed away.