Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C,I-Ballston) joined Sen. Sue Serino, Sen. Jim Tedisco and colleagues in the Senate and Assembly Minority Conferences to honor the over 15,000 lives of New York nursing home and adult care facility residents, many of whom died as a result of the COVID-19 directive issued by Gov. Cuomo one year ago today. This directive, which mandated nursing homes and adult care facilities to accept COVID positive patients from hospitals, causing the virus to spread rapidly among patients and ultimately, costing thousands of lives.

Of those in attendance was Dan Mathias of Clifton Park who lost his mother, Doris, from COVID-19 in a Buffalo-area facility. Today’s rally commemorated all the lives lost from this misguided directive issued by the governor and New York State Department of Health.

“Gov. Cuomo recognized early on that nursing homes would be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 making it comparable to a ‘wildfire in dry grass,’ yet he issued the March 25 directive to send COVID-19 positive patients back into those vulnerable facilities,” said Walsh. “These parents, siblings and grandparents who died in these facilities are not just a statistic or number on a graph. My heart breaks for each of the thousands of families who lost their loved ones as a result of the directive issued one year ago today and for those who never had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye.

“Today my colleagues and several families who lost loved ones stood together to honor the lives and legacies of these 15,000 New Yorkers and to reinforce that fact that we care, and we will continue to push for well-deserved answers and accountability.”