Cuomo to Build ‘Tracing Army’ in Preparation for N.Y. Return

(Bloomberg) -- New York is building a “tracing army” to track the origin of individual coronavirus cases and reduce the spread so the state can focus on reopening, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

“When you find a positive person, trace it back and isolate,” Cuomo said.

The governor Wednesday reported an additional 474 fatalities, for a total of 15,302. The one-day increase was the lowest in three weeks as Covid-19 hospitalizations continue to decline and other data show signs of progress.

“It’s better to be going down than to be going up,” he said at his daily virus briefing. “We’re in a relatively good place.”

Cuomo announced plans to work with Connecticut and New Jersey to increase contact tracing. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg volunteered to help the state implement its tracing program, and he and Bloomberg Philanthropies will donate $10.5 million to the effort. (Michael Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

Several countries, including Germany, Singapore, and South Korea, have used contract tracing and so have been able to reopen businesses more quickly. They’ve experienced fewer deaths and lower infection rates, Cuomo said.

“You don’t have months to plan and do this,” Cuomo said. “You have weeks to get this up and running.”

The program will be done in partnership with Johns Hopkins University and Vital Strategies, a public health organization, the governor said. In addition, the federal government has agreed to provide New York state with $1.3 billion to help fund tracing, Cuomo said.

The state has about 500 tracers and will add thousands more, working with universities to draft medical students, Cuomo said. The efforts will be coordinated between the state and municipalities. New York City and other localities also will be hiring their own independent people, Cuomo said. He didn’t have a timeline for when tracing and testing would be at full capacity.

New York is increasing antibody testing and its ability to test for Covid-19. Cuomo met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and the administration agreed to help New York double capacity to 40,000 tests per day, Cuomo said. The resulting data will inform region-by-region reopenings, Cuomo said.

New York reported an additional 5,526 cases, for a total of 257,216. Downstate New York is on the descent of the curve. “The question now is how long is that descent,” Cuomo said.

With June fast approaching, Cuomo said he hasn’t yet decided whether schools will be reopened before the end of the school year.

The reopening of businesses and restart of public transportation must go hand-in-hand with the reopening of schools, Cuomo said. The schools must be disinfected, and have protocols in place for disinfecting and social distancing moving forward, he said.

He warned local governments not to cave in to political pressure as almost 100 protesters gathered outside the State Capitol demanding he reopen the state so they can work. Cuomo, in response, said death is worse than not having money.

“How can the cure be worse than the illness if the illness is potential death?” Cuomo said. “It doesn’t equal death. Economic hardship, yes, very bad, not death. Emotional stress from being locked in a house, very bad, not death. Domestic violence on the increase, very bad, not death.”

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