UPDATE: At Thursday's press conference, Gov. Cuomo admitted that neither he nor the MTA apparently know how to even go about disinfecting the trains.
Nope, he still doesn't have a plan for the subway. #NewYorkCity #coronavirus https://t.co/7nhWJPEcIf pic.twitter.com/sThoxsVvP7
— Cortney O'Brien (@obrienc2) April 30, 2020
But he did promise that the trains "would be cleaner than ever before."
ORIGINAL POST
It's the end of April, meaning we are months into the coronavirus outbreak, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is finally getting around to cleaning the New York City subway system. Now, at long last, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be expected to clean the system every night.
"When people get into the train, in the morning, they have to know that that train was disinfected the night before," he said at Wednesday's press briefing.
He "didn't know" how the cleaning would affect service. He's waiting for the MTA to "give him a plan."
Right now, Cuomo said, they are basically telling essential workers, "By the way you may get infected with the coronavirus on the train on the way to work."
He hopes to get to the point where he can assure essential workers that they can have a safe commute.
Again, this is late April.
Everyone in that briefing room in Albany understood the necessity of the nightly subway sanitation, but the press wondered why it hadn't been enacted prior to this week.
"We have been starting," Cuomo replied. "It is a tremendous undertaking that has never been done before."
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Spectators didn't give Cuomo the benefit of the doubt.
Just today, Cuomo decided to sanitize subways. Not last week, not last month, or two, three months ago. Just today. Countless lives lost. https://t.co/jVeSJKvtHl
— Terry (@IrishTea1) April 30, 2020
Since subways were the epicenter of the spread, it's common sense that these should be sanitized at least daily.. Why wait weeks to start addressing the subway? #COVID19 #Cuomo
— EleanorHill (@Eleanor52237563) April 30, 2020
It took NYC forever to close their schools and Cuomo is JUST NOW saying subways should be cleaned each night.
— bcitsmyright Txt TRUMP to 88022 (@bcitsmyright) April 30, 2020
Cuomo is also receiving flak for suggesting on Wednesday that homeless people were part of the reason the subway system is "disgusting."
“That is disgusting, what is happening on those subway cars,” the governor said while showing a photo of homeless people sleeping on a metro train. He added that it was "disrespectful to the essential worker," who have been complaining of the cramped and unsanitary conditions.
The homeless need to be placed in shelters, Cuomo explained, before complaining about how the MTA has yet to come up with a plan with the NYPD. Cuomo added that he has been trying to make progress on the homeless issue since he was in his twenties and that the homeless deserve "safe" shelters.
Cuomo didn't have many answers or details about the "disgusting" subway issues. But he did spend a good portion of his presser (again) ranting about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's remarks that helping state and local governments would amount to a "blue state bailout."
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