12 OCTOBER 15, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Another nice mess for Cuomo, de Blasio
Well, here’s another nice mess
you’ve gotten us into.”
The old catch phrase from
the classic comedy team of Laurel and
Hardy comes to mind when considering
how Governor Andrew Cuomo and
Mayor Bill de Blasio have handled the
response to COVID-19 spikes in Brooklyn
and Queens.
Where do we begin to recount this
latest chapter in these frenemies’ rivalry
that puts at stake the safety of New
Yorkers?
The mayor fi rst announced on Oct.
4 a plan to put a “pause” on businesses
and schools in the nine ZIP codes where
COVID-19 has been spiking. Everything,
he said, was pending the governor’s approval
— and it appeared, to some, that
was a formality.
Not so. One day later, on Oct. 5, Cuomo
pulled the rug out from under de Blasio
by shift ing the school closures up a day to
Tuesday, Oct. 6 (the mayor had wanted to
close the schools Wednesday, Oct. 7) and
disagreeing with widespread closure of
businesses.
The governor also questioned whether
it was wise for the city to consider entire
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio once again failed to show unity during a time when we so
desperately needed it. Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin/Offi ce of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
ZIP codes or census tracts by which to
map out the cluster zones.
So Cuomo came up with what he
deemed to be a more crystalized plan
of attack, with color-coded regions of
Brooklyn and Queens refl ecting the
cluster with unique boundaries.
The red areas, with the highest cases,
would go back to where they were before
New York City began reopening in
June — including severe restrictions on
gatherings at houses of worship.
That development bristled people
of faith in Brooklyn. Members of the
Orthodox Jewish community, in particular,
were outraged and took to the
streets to protest. Things got out of hand;
an onlooker was assaulted, and masks
were reportedly torched.
Cuomo and de Blasio sought to calm
things down and provide greater specifics
about the cluster action plan. They
also reiterated that the enforcement of
COVID-19 regulations wasn’t aimed at
any one community — but, by then, the
damage was done.
Of course they didn’t make this
announcement together, holding
near-simultaneous press briefi ngs on
Wednesday, Oct. 7. The city could’ve used
a little unity, and they couldn’t provide
that.
Nothing’s riding on this cluster action
plan other than the overall health and
well-being of millions of New Yorkers,
and the fate of our economy.
And its rollout was a nice mess that
provoked anger, confusion and resistance
— largely because the governor
and mayor continue to butt heads on the
things that matter most.
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