NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
Hochul promises ‘a whole new era’
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 20 - AUG. 26, 2021 11
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Some shameless people will
go to great lengths to avoid
getting a COVID-19 vaccine
— including spending money
to buy fake vaccination cards
on the internet, according to
Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer.
Counterfeit card-makers
both at home and overseas are
producing and selling the fake
vaccination documents, undermining
the national effort
to vaccinate people against
the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Schumer said on Sunday that
the illegal enterprisers are
profiting at the expense of
public health, and the time
had come for the federal government
to step up and take
action.
During an Aug. 15 press
conference at his Manhattan
office, Schumer urged U.S.
Customs and Border Protection
(CBP), the FBI and the
Department of Health and Human
Services to unite on a national
crackdown against the
vaccine card counterfeiters.
He also called for the federal
government to embark on a
national campaign reminding
Americans that the counterfeit
operation is not only dangerous,
but illegal.
Creating or using falsified
vaccination cards is a violation
of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section
1017 and other applicable
laws, punishable by a fine and
up to five years behind bars.
“Fake vaccination cards
have been advertised on social
media, blogs and more,
and now, new signs point to
a ramp-up production of fake
cards with government logos
overseas via countries like
China,” Schumer said. “That’s
why we need a federal crackdown
and an educational campaign
to make clear this is illegal,
and that there is an even
easier solution for those who
are looking to buy or sell fake
vaccine cards — and it is to get
the vaccine.”
Some of the counterfeiters
have been seen peddling
laminated vaccination cards
for $25 apiece; others are using
apps like Telegram to sell
the phony documents, or “COVID
19 Vaccine Cards Certificate,”
for as much as $200.
On Saturday, the CBP inspected
a suspicious package
that arrived at the Port
of Memphis, Tennessee. It
contained 51 fake COVID-19
vaccination cards with blank
spaces for the recipient’s name
and birthdate, the vaccine
maker, lot number, dates and
places where the shots were
administered, and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
logo.
“Fake vaccine cards are
now a very real problem, but
we can also get it under control
if we hit all these fronts
and keep working to fight misinformation
and vaccine hesitation,”
Schumer said.
Reach reporter Robert
Pozarycki by e-mail at
rpozarycki@schnepsmedia.
com or at (718) 260-4549.
BY JOE PANTORNO
New York Lieutenant Governor
Kathy Hochul, who will
become the next governor of
the state upon Andrew Cuomo’s
resignation, promised “a
whole new era” for diversity
in Albany upon her arrival in
office.
Cuomo resigned on Tuesday
after New York Attorney
General Letitia James revealed
that he sexually harassed
11 women in a workplace
that was deemed toxic.
Hochul told CBS’s “Face
The Nation” on Sunday, Aug.
15, that she will decide the best
action to take when it comes to
communicating with the victims
when she takes over later
this month while ensuring
that her administration will
speak to “all women.”
“I want them to know that
they feel welcome to stay in
the administration when
they’re here. The culture will
be changed 1,000 percent,”
Hochul said. “I want all women
… to realize that this is a
place where they’ll have a role.
We need their voices. We need
their diversity.
“I want by the end of my administration
for every woman
to say there are no barriers,
there is no longer a ceiling.”
When asked whether or not
she has spoken with Cuomo,
Hochul said that she has been
in contact with his team, but
the soon-to-be-former governor
is being viewed as nothing
more than a distraction.
“My goal is to have a
smooth transition and hit the
ground running literally in a
matter of days … we’re going
to stay focused,” Hochul said.
“I will have no distractions in
my administration. We’re focused
on what’s doing the best
for the people of this state.”
That includes tackling
concerning COVID-19 numbers
that continue to rise
across New York City as a new
school year is right around the
corner.
Hochul told CNN’s “State of
the Union” earlier on Sunday
morning that a mask mandate
for schoolchildren is “something
that I believe has to
occur.”
A decision on that along
with addressing vaccination
rates will come collaboratively
with Mayor Bill de Blasio and
the incoming mayor, which is
expected to be Eric Adams.
“You have smart people,
I have smart people,” Hochul
told CNN. “How about
doing it together and not in
competition?”
Hochul is set to put plenty
of stock in New York City,
disclosing that her lieutenant
governor will come from the
Big Apple to ensure she always
has ears to the ground while
she’s in Albany.
“I want someone who
lives there,” Hochul told CBS.
“Someone who understands
the challenges first-hand.”
The incoming governor
also stressed the distribution
of a surplus of money that
could help out those in New
York City most impacted by
the pandemic.
“I want to get the money
out to the people,” she said.
“There are too many landlords
and renters who are
suffering. I also want to get
the money out to the excluded
worker program where people
who are immigrants aren’t
getting any money because
they’re not documented.
That money is sitting there
unspent.”
New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
REUTERS/Cindy Schultz
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer takes questions as
he discusses the Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure
bill and the budget resolution during a news conference at the
U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11, 2021.
REUTERS/Gabrielle Crockett
Sen. Schumer seeks federal action to stop
dealers of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards
PoliticsNYnews PoliticsNYnews PoliticsNY.com PoliticsNYnews
/QNS.COM
/PoliticsNY.com
link
