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New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are among now seven states in the region forming committees to determine proper protocols to reopen the economy in the region as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to plague the country.
The governors from the tristate area joined their counterparts from Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island in announcing during a conference call on Monday, April 13 that they are forming committees to share information and advice as they look to slowly begin reopening some parts of their economies.
After that announcement, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said his state is also joining the East Coast consortium.
Each state will form a committee of three people, each of which will include a top public health official, an economic development official and the governors' chiefs of staff. That committee will then share experiences, research, and information on how the virus is progressing in their area before making a regional plan for reopening their states.
“We’re forming a working group that will start work immediately on designing a reopening plan taking into consideration the public health concerns and issues that economic reactivation could bring,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
“We’re going to study the data, the research of other countries, other states, and this committee will give us guidance and the parameter of what we should do moving forward. We’re going to be smart and cooperative and learn from one another. We’re better together, and that’s inarguable.”
Cuomo was joined on the call by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Delaware Gov. John Carney, and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo.
"One thing that's undeniable is that this virus does not stop at the border of any county, state, or country, but the impact is the same when it comes to our respective economies and healthcare systems," Lamont said. "Working as a regional coalition to make the right decisions will lead to the best public health results for all of our residents. We must solve these problems together."
“We’re all connected by the I-95 corridor here in the northeast region. We’ve seen many connections amongst our states due to travel in the area,” Carney said. “This will help us through what it takes to re-enter and get our economies moving again.
“We need to get our patients healthy before we can get our economy healthy. We’re working together because we’re in uncharted waters. We’re working together to do a better job for the people we work for as we look to reopen the economy.”
Lamont added, “we can’t pull the trigger too quickly. If you look at the countries in Asia that reopened, and we’re seeing a small resurgence in the virus. We can’t risk there being a second beat and it coming back again.
"That would be so demoralizing for our economy. What we’re going to do is on a coordinated basis. We’re going to work together, coordinate, and then we can coordinate with Washington (D.C.) to help the rest of the country.”
Wolf said that it is essential that the states in the region coordinate together before reopening, or else one state could lead to reinfecting the population of any other.
“The house is still on fire,” he said referencing the number patients still being treated for COVID-19. “We have to put the fire out. Then we can put the pieces of the puzzle together to make sure it doesn’t reignite. We have to take the steps as a region in terms of the economy.
“If you get that wrong, if you transpose the steps, or get something wrong, or go too early, you may inadvertently wind up throwing gasoline on the fire and reignite it. As painful as the economic reality is, it’s not as painful as it will be if we get the timing wrong.”
Murphy said that "If we don't get the sequencing right, we put more lives at risk.
"The only path to a sustainable economic recovery is through a strong healthcare recovery. Then, and only then, do we position ourselves to fully ignite our economy and get the residents of our state back to work while minimizing the danger of this disease.
"A coordinated, regional approach, informed by a multi-state council of experts, will help us avoid a major setback with potentially disastrous consequences. I look forward to the day when the facts on the ground allow us to ease our restrictions and move our regional economy forward."
Later Monday afternoon, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington state announced a similar partnership.
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