Upstate counties are worried about the future of their communities, as much as they are worried about being overwhelmed by the Novel Coronavirus.
“County elected officials took it upon themselves to protect their communities, put in place emergency protocol to affect the behavior of the people that live in their county,” said Stephen Acquario, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC). “Counties are the front line, it is the regional government that has suffered the worst outside the state of New York and we are urging a desperate plea to our Congressional delegation.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo has joked that the state doesn’t have much in the way of reserves. He’s frequently referred to New York as ‘broke’ during the process.
Counties are now asking the state’s federal delegation to pass a fourth stimulus bill. It would provide funding for local communities battling the virus. It’s estimated that local governments will lose roughly $2 billion from businesses being shut down and people being laid off from work.
“There remains a four alarm alert in upstate New York right now, we are not through this despite the announcement of a plateau,” Acquario added. “We are ready and we will remain vigilant until such time that the medical professionals tell us to change these emergency protocols.”
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