ABOVE: Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo lays out his plan for a New Rochelle ‘containment area’ to help stop the spread of the coronavirus; March 10, 2020. PHOTO: Courtesy NYS Governor’s Office.

Former Gov. Cuomo’s misguided and politically charged takeover of public health policy tops the list of emergency-response screwups.

By David Robinson | lohud News

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s misguided and politically charged takeover of public health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic topped a list of emergency response mistakes made in New York’s handling of the historic global crisis, a new report asserted.

The long-awaited report — by outside consulting firm Olson Group Ltd. — provided an independent review of the state’s COVID-19 response. New York spent $4.3 million in tax dollars on the 262-page report, which was ordered by current Gov. Kathy Hochul and initially due last November.

What the New York COVID pandemic report says

New York’s response to the pandemic quickly exceeded any strategies envisioned in the state’s pre-existing plans and policies for dealing with such an emergency, the report found.

Among the report’s other findings:

• However, the pre-existing plans and policies — and the wealth of lessons learned — were almost immediately “disregarded and overruled” by Cuomo’s “preferred top-down, centralized emergency management approach.”
• Cuomo’s decision to center the state’s response in the Executive Chamber and, more specifically, in his office was “a significant and unnecessary mistake.”
• The emergency response structures developed through hard-won experience from events including 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy were largely ignored.

Although Cuomo’s decisive actions were widely praised during the early stages of the pandemic, his failure to shift to full incorporation of the state’s established institutions in coordinating the ongoing response operation resulted in “unnecessary confusion at a time when New Yorkers needed clarity,” the report added.

The analysis suggested allowing health leaders and local officials to control aspects of the response could have limited unnecessary suffering and harm caused by some one-size-fits-all executive orders, such as the lockdowns and other restrictions that disrupted business and daily life during the initial pandemic waves.

What the New York pandemic report doesn’t say

Despite the criticism of Cuomo’s heavy-handed leadership style, the report failed to fully address some key questions about crucial decisions made during the pandemic.

One issue involved the Cuomo administration’s directive in March 2020 that nursing homes admit COVID-19 patients.

The review concluded, in part, that the directive followed federal “standards to have planning and processes in place to execute medical surge strategies” while matching the scientific understanding of the issue at the time.

But the review left unaddressed questions about how the nursing home policy was crafted, as well as which state officials made the final decisions that resulted in thousands of COVID-19 patients being admitted to nursing homes.

More than 15,000 nursing home residents died due to the respiratory illness during the pandemic.

Earlier this week, Cuomo testified during a closed-door hearing of a Congressional subcommittee investigating the nursing home deaths.

Cuomo told the committee he was “unaware” of the March 2020 order until a month after it was issued, the committee posted on X.

Addressing the new report released Friday, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi on the same social media platform stated: “It’s ironic — yet unsurprising” that the Hochul-sponsored review concluded that “in a time of unprecedented crisis, state government should vacate responsibility and delegate leadership.”

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How NY can improve pandemic preparedness

Still, the report included detailed analysis of many of the sweeping impacts of the pandemic, spanning from the economic fallout to remote-learning decisions that will have lasting negative effects on youth mental health and educational development.

Some of the report’s most substantive recommendations focused on addressing the deeply entrenched health system flaws laid bare during the pandemic.

The analysis called, in part, for expanding on efforts underway to curb health inequality and close gaps in public health data collection and communication among hospitals and health providers.

The report also praised aspects of New York’s pandemic response, citing efforts to boost testing and vaccination as well as make rapid transitions to remote learning and work to limit the virus’ spread.

State agencies, educators and health providers are expected to review the report in coming days and offer feedback on their plans to address, or potentially refute, findings.

You can read the full report online as posted by the Olson Group. ##