County leaders call to put partisanship aside to fight COVID ahead of Thanksgiving

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, some county leaders on both sides of the aisle are calling to reduce partisanship when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo once again urged New Yorkers to take COVID precautions seriously this Thanksgiving during his briefing in Rochester on Wednesday. 

“I don’t care about your politics. I really don’t care about your politics. And you don’t care about mine,” the governor said. ” I care about your health. I care about overwhelming our hospital system. I care about how many people die. Even through the political lens, CDC is Donald Trump’s administration. Donald Trump’s CDC says celebrate only with your household. That’s Donald Trump. Joe Biden’s COVID advisors say the exact same thing.” 

Calls for unity were also echoed this week during a virtual meeting hosted by the New York State Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties where leaders advocated for turning down heated rhetoric and a strong federal partnership.

“This is not an issue related to politics. It’s an issue related to the public’s health. And, unfortunately, we continue to see too much politicization of what is a global pandemic and a public health care crisis when we really need to come together regardless of our political affiliation as Americans,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

“As this pandemic has stretched on for so long, we can’t allow ideology or fatigue or partisanship to pull us apart,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.

Wednesday’s update on COVID cases in New York showed more than 6,200 new positives. The Governor says he expects cases will rise significantly after the Thanksgiving holiday.