New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday declined to say whether he or any member of his cabinet had been summoned in connection with ongoing investigations into how the government handled home care during the pandemic.
When asked during a conference call about any potential subpoenas, Cuomo said his office has been investigating since August and will continue to do so. He, however, did not speak directly about the subpoena issue.
Cuomo will allow visits to nursing homes from Friday in some areas, depending on the local rate of transmission. Visitation will be limited and specific guidelines will be determined by the positivity rate of the municipality.
NY REPUBLICANS INCREASE PRESSURE FOR STRIP CUOMO EMERGENCY POWERS AMONG GROWTH SCANDAL
Cuomo’s office is under increasing scrutiny about how he handled patient care in nursing homes and how he reported patient deaths, including intentionally underreporting fatalities for fear that the disclosure of the information might have been used against the administration, as suggested by an advisor.
A report released by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the end of last month revealed that the total number of deaths in nursing homes in the state was higher than previously expected – underestimated by up to 55%.
The Department of Health revealed shortly after James’ report was released that an additional 3,829 residents died after being transferred to hospitals, which represents about 40% more deaths than previously reported. At least 12,743 long-term care residents died of the virus by January 19.
New data released this month brought those numbers to at least 14,100.
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Republicans in the state legislature on Monday moved forward in an effort to remove Cuomo from his emergency authority during the pandemic.
State Democrats made an effort to formally censor Cuomo, which would serve as a public rebuke to his actions.