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ALBANY, NY (WENY) – On March 25, 2020, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed an executive order through the Department of Health to send recovering COVID-19 patients to nursing homes. More than 9,000 patients were sent to nursing homes across the state.
This order was in effect until Cuomo reversed it in mid-May. As legislative session approaches, state Senator Tom O’Mara said there needs to be an investigation.
“Yes, mistakes might have been made, but let’s learn from those mistakes and not just cover it up and act as if everything was appropriate and done okay when we know for a fact that it wasn’t,” he said.
O’Mara said over the past year, he has demanded many times that the Chairman of the State Senate Investigations Committee, James Skoufis, open an investigation and issue subpoena’s for individuals involved in the March 25 executive order.
He said an investigation would help lawmakers understand why the order was put in place and what the impacts were. But majority Democrat senators on the Investigations Committee voted against moving forward with an investigation and issuing subpoena’s.
“There needs to be a change of the majority wanting to take a look at these things,” O’Mara said.
O’Mara added there is still interest among legislators to push for an investigation into the March 25 executive order.
Any progress made on the issue will likely happen in January when legislative session starts.
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