Mayor Bill de Blasio at the press briefing on COVID-19 Thursday evening (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
March 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Mayor Bill de Blasio demanded the federal government to step up its efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and send millions of medical supplies to New York City — the country’s hardest hit area — or lives will be unnecessarily lost.
The number of COVID-19 cases drastically jumped to 3,954 across the city–with 26 deaths– as of Thursday evening. In Queens, there were 1,042 cases.
De Blasio, at a press briefing Thursday, denounced President Donald Trump for turning his back on the New York City as the rising numbers could soon overwhelm its healthcare system.
“It’s abundantly clear to say [President Trump’s] betraying his hometown and he unfortunately is letting down his entire nation,” de Blasio said of the Queens-native.
The City is in dire need of millions of critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment that only the federal government has the capacity to supply. He called for Trump to send the supplies by April.
“Here in New York City, we are two weeks or three weeks away from running out of the supplies we need most for our hospitals,” de Blasio said. “The only way those supplies can be provided in time, is through the full mobilization of the United States military.”
New York City needs three million N95 masks, 50 million surgical masks, 15,000 ventilators and 45 million each of surgical gowns, coveralls, gloves and face shields, de Blasio said.
Without the supplies, more New Yorkers will get sick and more will die.
“It must arrive in time and there is time for that help to arrive,” Mayor de Blasio said. “But [if] the federal government does not do all in its power immediately — it’s as simple as this — there’ll be a lot more people who get sick who didn’t need to get sick and there’ll be people who die who didn’t need to die.”
Trump must authorize the U.S. Department of Health to order private factories to shift their production to produce the needed equipment, the mayor said.
Every factory in America that can be converted to health care production, should be, he added.
De Blasio said Trump should also authorize a full activation of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in fighting COVID-19 by providing available beds, staffing support, and medical and safety supplies.
He said he didn’t understand why President Trump wasn’t doing more to fight the pandemic.
“President Trump, I will only say to the president, I don’t understand, and I think there are millions and tens of millions of Americans who don’t understand what you are doing right now,” de Blasio said.
“You are not using the tools of your office. This is one of the greatest emergencies our nation has faced in generations. Every tool has to be brought to bear, [but] for some reason you continue to hesitate.”
He said New York City cannot fight the coronavirus on its own.
“We alone — even if we’re the greatest city in the world and we are — we alone cannot solve this crisis.”
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12 Comments
@Ed- There are only multiple links on this comment stream alone, to the video and you haven’t seen it ?!? Your not here for discussion, your here to spew conspiracy theories and have absolutely no interest in what others have to say.
I haven’t seen the video of trump…..but what I do know is that if the borders had been secured as he attempted to do ( drain on our healthcare system) but was thwarted by the left…..if he had by partisan support in his quest to hold China to account for unfair trade practices and other transgressions maybe circumstances today might be different. what happened to all the refugees fleeing violence ? hundreds of thousands in organized caravans….has the violence abated? That was dire this time last year…..could it be that those refugees were fodder for the communist ( Our Revolution…AOC & SANDERS) movement? Or the real power behind them? There is a communist movement unfolding this very moment …..don’t be fooled by the rhetoric …
March 6th isn’t that around the same day Trump danced with the American Flag and called the Corona Virus a hoax at the CEPAC gathering?
@Kimura- Yes lets take responsibility. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G5TZ6fTYrsE
Uh huh, let’s take some responsibility here. DeBlasio, you didn’t order Covid-19 supplies until March 6 when should have ordered back in Jan.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/city-hall-didnt-order-covid-19-supplies-for-nyc-until-march-6/
@Ed Don’t forget Trump was dancing with the flag and calling the virus a hoax only a month ago. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G5TZ6fTYrsE
Does he read his own speeches or hear himself? People have died unnecessarily because of him since he became mayor.
Does our mayor accept any responsibility for the City’s unpreparedness? Why didn’t he lobby the Federal government back in February since he claims to be the seer that Trump is not? Don’t be fooled by these communists because that is what they truly are……Diblasio and his ilk see this as an opportunity to further their agenda. This is the same mayor who 4 days ago brought his staff at 10am to the gym to watch him workout without regard to their health or safety. Where was Trump? I’ll bet he was on the job…along with governer Cuomo…..
Reggie- You have it all wrong. Government didn’t move production of these things to China private citizens and companies did. Higher profit margins.
Hysterical mayor!
Trump’s massive tax cuts for his fellow billionaire elites now mean that the richest 400 people paid a lower tax rate than ANYONE
That’s a way better use of money than public health
Gee, I wonder which country produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s medical supplies…
Everyone who thought this was a good idea should never again be allowed to work in government.