New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shared similar views as President Donald Trump on Tuesday, agreeing it would be possible to restart the economy by loosening coronavirus isolation restrictions on Americans.
On Monday evening, President Trump made a similar argument at a White House press briefing, stating it was possible to restart the economy and remain conscious of America’s health.
“What I’m saying, basically, is that we can do two things simultaneously,” Trump said, noting “we’ve had this incredible learning period” about the virus that might allow the federal government to review the requirements for social distancing.
Cuomo made the same argument at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Don’t make us choose between the two,” Cuomo said. “We can do both and we must do both.”
Cuomo argued lower-risk and younger people could return to work, as soon they would not need to be quarantined with the elderly.
Cuomo parroting @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/3REJPJp41q
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) March 24, 2020
“You can have an economic start-up strategy that is consistent with a public health strategy,” Cuomo said.
He said testing recovering individuals from the coronavirus and sending them back to work was essential, noting many Americans likely had the virus and recovered.
“I believe once we get that test, you’re going to find hundreds of thousands of people who have had the coronavirus and resolved,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo looked forward to younger people returning to work.
“Let the younger people go back to work, let the recovered people go back to work,” he said. “Ramp up the economy with those individuals.”
Cuomo said that although the initial public health strategy was strict, it was possible to refine recommendations based on what officials had learned about the virus.
“So you’re refining your public health strategy and at the same time you’re restarting your economy,” Cuomo said. “Those two can be consistent if done intelligently.”
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