In a gathering with several other state governors, the governor of New York Andrew Cuomo said he believes New York City has seen the worst of it. On April 13, Cuomo and the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island met for a live briefing.
During the briefing, the group of governors revealed that they are working together, as are a group of governors on the west coast, to come up with a reopening plan that would happen “within weeks” from now. According to Politico, the governors will be deciding when to “reopen their schools and businesses.” And plan to do so “slowly, cautiously, and in tandem with their neighbors.”
RELATED: Pregnant Jamie Otis Apologizes After She Caught Heat for Flying Home During COVID-19 Outbreak
During the live briefing, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo said, “The governors are the ones who have been showing great leadership in keeping our citizens safe. I think it’s only appropriate that we do the same thing now by coming together and showing regional leadership to open the economy.”
The decision to talk to America as a united front comes after signs point to the idea that the worst is over, at least for New York City. “I believe the worst is over if we continue to be smart and we can start on the path to normalcy and we can have a plan when you start to see some businesses reopening understanding the balance,” Cuomo said.
He then continued, adding, “We have to understand on the reopening, as much as we have this emotion that we want it to happen and that we can’t take this anymore, it is a delicate balance.”
Politico reported that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker became the first Republican to join the group following the initial call. While the exact timeline of the governors’ plans to reopen their respective economies remains unclear, it is nice to know that our country is moving in the right direction.
“Everyone is very anxious to get out of the house, get back to work, get the economy moving. Everyone agrees with that. What the art form is going to be here is doing that smartly, and doing that productively, and doing that in a coordinated way, doing that in coordination with the other states that are in the area and doing it as a cooperative effort where we learn from each other and we share information.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
Governor Andrew Cuomo Says the Spike Might Be Over But It’s Still Important to Keep Your Kids Inside
Cuomo also added that a public health official, an economic development official, and the governor’s chief of staff from each state will form the working group that will create the plan that will get us back to normal life.
However, while there is hope on the horizon, it is important to listen to the fact that our economies need to open up slowly in order to prevent another spike in this pandemic. So although there will be a time we will be allowed out in public again, stay home and stay safe because by doing that you are protecting others as well.