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  • you've heard from the front lines the doctors, the nurses, the health care workers.

  • And tonight we have new numbers coming in from New York City.

  • Just moments ago, we asked Governor Andrew Cuomo a short time ago.

  • Do the workers here have the protection they need?

  • And when does he see the peak of this?

  • Here in New York.

  • How many days?

  • How many weeks are we talking about?

  • I spoke with the governor just before we came on tonight.

  • Governor Cuomo, Thanks for joining us here tonight.

  • I know.

  • You said earlier today that there was no time for politics, no time for partisanship.

  • And quite frankly, we agree with you.

  • We don't have time for that tonight as well.

  • So I wanted to get right to the new numbers out of New York City tonight.

  • The Health Department has just announced that 914 people have died in the city as a result of covert 19.

  • That's up from 7 90 just this morning.

  • An increase of another 124 deaths.

  • So I'm curious, Governor, as you continue to fight this here in New York State, the epicenter in this country, what do you still need in this fight right now.

  • Well, David, thank you very much for having me.

  • Look, we still have a way to go, right?

  • Everybody's have been watching the quote unquote curve and trying to flatten the curve.

  • We're still on our way up the mountain in New York.

  • I think it's important for the rest of the nation.

  • Tow watch New York because we're really the canary in the coal mine were just the first test case of this with this intensity in this density, which is a function of who we are and how we live in New York.

  • But you're going to see the number continue to climb.

  • We don't believe we've hit the quote unquote apex of the curve so that number will continue to grow, will then hit the apex.

  • And that's the point where we really have to make sure our health, our health care system, doesn't collapse from the weight of the the people who are flooding the health care system right now and then, all the experts say you'll be on the other side of the curve and the numbers will start to drop and you'll be on the way down to avoid this collapse.

  • Governor, what do you still need?

  • You know this is now it were operating two levels, David.

  • People still have to be responsible.

  • Stay home.

  • Stay home.

  • Stay home.

  • If you go out, you subject yourself to danger.

  • You could infect yourself, in fact, others.

  • So people have to be responsible.

  • And second, this is a battle that is being waged in our health care system.

  • The soldiers quote unquote of this war are the nurses and the doctors and the health care professionals.

  • And we have a health system that can't handle this capacity.

  • You're going to be in this state at roughly double capacity by some projections.

  • So it's the staff.

  • It's the equipment.

  • It's literally the number of beds on.

  • That's what we're bracing for, Governor, You talk about the apex, the peak of this.

  • I know you were lying on your own scientists behind the scenes.

  • What do the numbers tell you about when New York City, when New York State could see this apex?

  • You know that that's that's the hard part.

  • We have quote unquote experts, but really there are no experts here, so we have four or five modelers projectors, and they're the best companies on the globe, literally but on.

  • They have data because this has happened since China, and they have South Korea and they have Italy and they have models.

  • But we have a range of anywhere from about one week for the apex.

  • Some people saying another 21 days.

  • Some people say the apex eyes about half of what the others say.

  • That's one of the things that's so bedeviling about this.

  • You have such a wide range of projections because nobody really knows to governor.

  • If you're dealing with seven days, possibly up to 21 days, as you just mentioned, you have said often that what you're seeing here in New York, other communities will see as this moves across the country.

  • So what would you say to authorities in Detroit tonight?

  • Chicago, New Orleans?

  • Some of these other communities that are beginning to see their numbers surge as well.

  • What?

  • What should they be doing right now to try to avoid some of some of the horror of what we've lived through here in New York?

  • Look, I said, My fellow governors, my colleague, governors, I said any elected official any community.

  • This is unlike anything you've seen before.

  • This spreads like fire through dry grass with a strong wind behind it.

  • Uh, this virus transfers unlike anything we've seen.

  • Now you see it first in dense communities because by definition you have New York State right, 19 million people very close together.

  • That's why it moves so fast in New York state.

  • But Detroit Cities New Orleans, you had passed flu pandemics that ah wiped out cities because they had a parade.

  • That's the type of virus this is so it easily and quickly transfers.

  • You will see it move all across the country.

  • You'll see it increasing, Uh, and you'll see it everywhere.

  • So I said today, Look, don't think New York is unique in this regard.

  • New York is just first and let's watch New York.

  • Let's learn from New York so we can actually help other communities when this spreads.

  • I asked other communities today for help.

  • We need nurses.

  • We need doctors are our hospital staff is already really, really stressed.

  • And we haven't even hit the apex s.

  • So I'm asking other health care professionals from of course, the country come help New York and by the way, we will reciprocate and will be there to help you when you need help and they will need help.

  • David.

  • It's not that New Yorkers immune system is any different than any other American.

  • There is no American who is immune from this disease.

  • We are the tip of the spear on dhe.

  • I hope people help us.

  • I'll be there to help them on.

  • Let's learn the best way to handle this.

  • You know, in the last 24 hours, the president, out with that new guidance extending social distancing, stayed home through April 30th.

  • Have you talked to President Trump about this?

  • And is that enough here in New York City, where you're feeling it hardest so far?

  • You know, I speak Thio, uh, speak to the president almost on a daily basis.

  • Given the situation that we're in, I don't think anybody knows, Right?

  • I extend everything for two weeks, David, because nobody knows a TTE this rate.

  • Do I think anything changes dramatically in one month?

  • No.

  • So you're prepared, governor for the possibility that there would be an extension of that beyond April 30th?

  • Oh, yes.

  • Certainly.

  • I talked to healthcare professionals who say, Look, I am more emotionally exhausted than physically exhausted and you have these health care workers who were afraid that they're being exposed to the virus.

  • They could be bringing it home to their family.

  • So this is really unlike anything we've seen on a number of dimensions.

  • And Governor, you mentioned those front line workers, the health care workers who have talked to you about the emotional toll about the fear of possibly bringing this home.

  • Are you confident tonight, Governor, that the doctors, nurses, the health care workers on the front lines here in New York state in New York City have the protective gear they need to protect themselves as they fight this fight?

  • You know, David, is it?

  • It is a day by day challenge.

  • What is happening here is you've not told only overwhelmed our hospital capacity.

  • You've over whelmed the nation's hospital capacity or big parts of the nation at the same time.

  • That then has caused everyone to shop for the same supply on and the shelves are bare.

  • And it's not just everyone in the United States, by the way, it's everyone around the world is looking for the same gowns, the masks, the ventilators.

  • They all want the same thing.

  • Governor Cuomo.

  • I know these air very long days, not only for the folks on the front lines in this crisis, but for you as well.

  • Way certainly appreciate the time tonight, Governor.

  • Thank you.

  • Thanks for having me.

  • Hi, everyone.

  • George Stephanopoulos here.

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  • Thanks for watching.

you've heard from the front lines the doctors, the nurses, the health care workers.

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