Michael Kraus, a nursing home administrator on Staten Island told Fox News that he and other top officials at other facilities were “petrified” by the March 2020 mandate that COVID-19 patients be permitted back into long-term care facilities, not hospitals.
Cuomo has reiterated several times that he was simply following federal guidance, and that at the time, they were worried about projections that showed New York’s hospital system potentially overflowing.
Despite his protestations, Kraus told Fox News that his concerns were “shot down” by the administration.
Kraus said that more than one long-term care facility made it known they weren’t on board with the plan, but they were “petrified” of both the outcome and the Department of Health.
According to Kraus, once he was shot down the first time, he never brought it back up and just followed the state’s guidelines.
More than 15,000 people are confirmed to have died in New York nursing homes, approximately half of what the state was reporting as recently as January before a report surfaced that found Cuomo and his administration attempted to cover up the actual numbers.
Last month, Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, told Democratic lawmakers that the administration withheld information because “they froze” in the face of a potential federal investigation with former President Donald Trump still in the Oval Office.
The nursing home coverup is currently under investigation by the District Attorney’s Office, FBI, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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