Over the years, our Assembly Republican conference has consistently warned against one-size-fits-all solutions for New York state, one of the most regionally diverse in the union. What works for the residents in Manhattan does not necessarily work for us. It has been true of countless economic issues before, and I believe that it’s true when it […]
Over the years, our Assembly Republican conference has consistently warned against one-size-fits-all solutions for New York state, one of the most regionally diverse in the union. What works for the residents in Manhattan does not necessarily work for us. It has been true of countless economic issues before, and I believe that it’s true when it comes to dealing with the economic crisis our families are facing now.
[The week of April 20-24], our Assembly minority conference unveiled a plan to lift emergency economic restrictions on a regional basis. Our New York State “Regional Restart” initiative would bring together a bipartisan panel of private-sector leaders and public-health officials to develop a comprehensive plan to safely and gradually get more and more people back to work.
[The same] week, the Empire Center released a report detailing the disproportionate toll the crisis has taken on downstate New York. It found that 97 percent of COVID-19 fatalities were recorded in the five boroughs, on Long Island, or in the suburbs immediately north of New York City. According to their report, Upstate has only recorded 1.5 infections per 1,000 residents.
If the goal of the “New York State on PAUSE” directive was to prevent the spread of the virus from overwhelming the emergency capacity of our health-care system, it seems as though we achieved that in our region. In fact, the Empire Center tells us that “many upstate hospitals have been furloughing employees for lack of business or revenue.”
Let me be clear: we still need to be vigilant about this virus. I am pleased that President Trump and Gov. Cuomo had productive discussions about expanding testing, and I know that getting back to work means listening to the guidance of public-health officials. But we need to begin that process now. Our families and our communities depend on it.
Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C–Canandaigua) represents the 131st Assembly District, which encompasses all of Ontario County and parts of Seneca County. Contact him at kolbb@nyassembly.gov
