I report on coronavirus from the epicentre of the epicentre – and there is now some cause for optimism
As New York cautiously talks about 'flattening' the curve, political squabbling has started again, writes Dave Maclean
On 22 March, Mayor Bill de Blasio called New York City the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis. The state has the most cases in the US, and the city has the most cases in the state.
Queens, the borough in which I live, has had the most deaths in the city, and Elmhurst Hospital – which at times has been operating at more than 100 per cent capacity – is about 1 mile away from my apartment.
Call this the epicentre of the epicentre of the epicentre.
At the time, hospital admissions were hurtling upwards each day, deaths were spiking, and every 15 minutes or so the wail of an ambulance would scream past my window.
Tuning into state governor Andrew Cuomo’s press conferences is part of my job, but at that time it was also a way to stay sane during the crisis.
He was a cool voice among the chaos, some signal from the noise. He calmly recited the numbers of the day – deaths, and those who’d tested positive – before explaining the context, the next steps, and offering up some heartfelt words of sympathy as well as encouragement to the people of New York.
The information disseminated by him during those news conferences formed the backbone of our news coverage each day: it painted an accurate picture of the situation on the ground in the worst-hit city in America.
Now, for the past few days, they’ve formed the backbone of our coverage for a different reason; it’s where he responds to the jibes from the president.
The pair are in an ongoing war of words over when the state can be reopened. Cuomo says he won’t rush it; Trump wants it to happen soon. There’s buck-passing on who’s responsible for what, who acted too soon and too late.
The governor also used his televised speeches as an opportunity to slap down De Blasio, who has far fewer powers and has, in Cuomo’s view, attempted to overstep them lately.
It’s a rich seam of news, with a positive undertone; if we’re back to political squabbling after a brief period of unnerving peace, it really does show that we’re on the homeward stretch.
Yours,
Dave Maclean
US features editor
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