Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I-Lyons) joined his Assembly and Senate colleagues for a virtual press conference regarding Gov. Cuomo’s mismanagement of COVID-19 in nursing homes. Together, the legislators demanded a full investigation to be launched on this issue to provide more accurate information. Joining them were Cindy Lizzi and her brothers Ted & Phil Minissale, who lost their mother to COVID-19 and Janice Dean, who lost both of her in-laws to COVID-19.

“In regard to COVID-19 and nursing homes, mistakes were definitely made and it’s high time accountability and action is taken,” said Manktelow. “I was proud to stand in unison with members of New York’s Assembly and Senate calling for a full investigation in the state’s handling of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. This pandemic has hit our state and country unlike anything we have witnessed in our lifetime. While it would be unfair to expect a perfect handling of the situation, what we should be able to reasonably expect is for our governor and other state officials to not cover up and mask their mistakes. The attorney general’s report on 62 nursing homes and the associated death rate was much higher than initially reported and shows that we need a full investigation into what has really been going on these past 11 months. As the saying goes, ‘Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,’  We must see the whole picture so we can establish better guidelines and practices to ensure that, should we ever encounter a pandemic like this again, we are prepared to face it head on.”