As coronavirus cases rise, Sen. Schumer calls for compensation for fighting virus

NEW YORK STATE (WSYR-TV) — A new spike in coronavirus cases is breaking a string of daily declines, both on China’s mainland and aboard a Japanese quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess. More than 3,100 new cases were reported over a span of 24 hours.

The mainland death toll is now more than 900 people, surpassing the 774 people believed to have died in the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.

The recent surges have caused people to scramble across the world, including in New York State. Senator Chuck Schumer is now calling for the federal government to repay New York City for money spent fighting against coronavirus. Schumer says the city has to respond to the outbreak, but it’s getting expensive to do so.

“To prevent corona from happening, from spreading. If somehow somebody gets here, it’s gonna be very, very important, and New York should not have to skimp on the dollars. The money we provided cannot only hire federal agents, but can be given to localities who know how to do this,” Schumer said.

Last month, Schumer successfully pushed the Trump administration to declare novel coronavirus a public health emergency, allowing the use of a designated reserve account to address it.

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