New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo bristled Friday at a reporter’s suggestion that his executive order to deploy the National Guard to round up unused ventilators and other medical gear to fight coronavirus amounted to a bid to “seize” the items.
The Democrat instead said his action would enable “sharing” the items.
“First of all, don’t use the word ‘seize.’ I didn’t use that word. It’s a harsh kind of word,” Cuomo said, according to the Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N. Y.
Still, Cuomo acknowledged that some hospitals or other organizations in upstate New York might be reluctant to hand over their ventilators for use in the New York City area.
“I understand they don’t want to give up their ventilators. ... I understand that even if they are not using them they are reluctant to see them go out the door. The theory is, if the government gets them they will never get them back.
“But I’m not going to be in a position where people are dying and we have several hundred ventilators in our own state, somewhere else,” Cuomo added. “I apologize for the hardship to those institutions.”
Cuomo said facilities that have materials taken away ... (Read more)
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