Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after touring two newly opened city-run COVID-19 testing sites and holding a press conference outside a site in one of the hardest-hit regions of the city. Video of that press conference is available here.
"The Mayor's actions to open new testing sites in hard hit areas and the Governor's efforts to expand both testing and treatment within NYCHA are welcome, positive steps, but must be expanded and expedited to meet the overwhelming need. The initial response to this crisis created a vicious and deeply damaging cycle - by failing to implement wide-scale testing in these areas, the full scope of the crisis went unaccounted for and unaddressed, which only further exacerbated the crisis. In places like Throggs Neck and Gun Hill, Borough Park and Mariner's Harbor, COVID-19 continues to take a disparate toll without adequate testing to meet it. "In order to address the delay and the disparity, to get help to communities most in need, the federal government needs to provide funding directly to New York City. We can't wait for funds to move through the state, we can't wait for Donald Trump to put his name on a check, we need resources immediately- we can't buy back the lost time, but we can work to save lives through enhanced testing and treatment now."
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