Written by Hunter Sartwell in the Press Republican
TO THE EDITOR: The actions taken by the state of New York have caused a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases and deaths within our state, whether it be charging outside volunteers for coming in and saving our lives, to sending COVID-19 patients and staff into nursing homes, or Mayor de Blasio calling on New Yorkers to go out on the town as the virus spread.
Some of these actions were foolhardy but others were downright deadly.
The directive to require nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients contributed to the disproportionate death within nursing homes; over 5,000 seniors in our communities have now died. An investigation into the policy and early actions taken must be done, at best, we will learn for future pandemics, at worst, we can find systematic mishandling that killed New Yorkers.
Now that investigations are being called for, leading the charge is Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. Cuomo has back pedaled on his orders and the governor has tried to scapegoat blame to the federal government and the CDC. The governor forced nursing homes to accept patients without the ability to confirm COVID-19 testing had been performed and what the result was.
I applaud Congresswoman Stefanik and others who are calling for an investigation into Gov. Cuomo and his handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes. Thank you, Elise, for the accountability.
Hunter Sartwell
Peru
You can read the full letter to the editor at: www.pressrepublican.com
