NYC, N.Y. — As the country pauses this Memorial Day to remember those who died in battle, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that state and local governments will provide death benefits for those who lost their lives fighting a different battle.
Cuomo said public front-line workers such as police, fire and EMS workers, among others, will be eligible. The money will be provided by local or state pension funds. The governor is also calling on the federal government to provide dedicated hazard pay for those same workers.
Monday's announcement was held aboard the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City, and began with a moment of silence for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The news and the numbers continue to be good in the fight against COVID-19. Total hospitalizations, intubations and new cases continue on the downward trend. However, 96 New Yorkers lost their lives to the virus on Sunday; 75 in hospitals, 21 of those in nursing homes.
When asked about large gatherings seen around the state over the holiday weekend, the governor insisted that activity can be increased without increasing the spread of the virus and continued to beat the drum about wearing a mask. "I will talk about masks until I'm blue in the face", he said, "because they work".
As the state faces a $60 billion budget deficit, Cuomo also continued to make the case for federal funding to states to avoid massive cuts in areas like schools, hospitals and police.
