ALBANY, NY – New York government Andrew Cuomo has fallen 10 points since January, a poll published Tuesday found amid bipartisan criticism of his administration’s reporting of the number of nursing home residents who died from Covid-19.
A Siena College Research Institute poll of 804 voters in New York found that the Democratic Governor’s general approval rating had fallen to 51-47, down from 56-42 in January. When asked if they agreed on how Mr. Cuomo had made information public about deaths in nursing homes, 39% said they approved, compared with 55% who did not.
State officials now say that more than 15,000 residents of nursing homes and assisted living and care services for adults have succumbed or are suspected to have succumbed to the coronavirus since March last year – a number that is about 50% higher than previous figures provided by the state. For months, the state has not responded to requests from lawmakers and journalists asking about the number of hospital residents who died in hospitals.
Democratic and Republican state lawmakers criticized the delay, as well as a statement last week from governor’s top assistant Melissa DeRosa that the state has delayed the release of the full count in August for fear that former President Trump’s administration would politicize the information. .
Democrats who control both the state assembly and the senate said they held private talks over the weekend about reversing a state law, which went into effect in March, which gave Mr.Cuomo unprecedented power to unilaterally issue directives needed to manage the pandemic. The governor has used his authority to shut down schools and establish rules for business operations.