28 new york | march 16–29, 2020
sign, just kept driving, knocking the trooper
down and nearly running him over.
“The panic is the problem,” he says. “ ‘I have
to ge t home, my kids are at home, I have to get
out of here, a hurricane’s coming.’ Whether it’s
a fire, a flood, whatever it is. Here, the panic, the
anxiety, it’s people getting afraid to get on a pub-
lic bus. They could be afraid to get on a subway.
They could be afraid to be in Manhattan. The
panic could be more destructive than the virus.”
And he credits the federal government’s
response with fueling at least some of the panic.
“This one says this, that one says that, Trump
says everything’s fine, this one says no it’s not,
this one says we’ll have a vaccine tomorrow, the
other one gets on and says it’s going to be a
year,” Cuomo said, adopting the voice of the
confused television viewer. “Now I’m nervous.
It sounds like a science-fiction movie. Who am
I supposed to believe? What is the truth?”
“People have to understand this is not a
death sentence,” he added. “It’s just not.”
Conversations about the virus began inter-
nally last year. In February, once it was quite
clear that the disease was coming here and
that there would be almost no federal
response, Cuomo gathered 50 advisers—
health officials, lawyers, government-
operations specialists, health-insurance
regulators—to game out what was coming
and how the state should react. Would they
need to quarantine people? Under what legal
authority? How would they enforce the quar-
antine? And so on down the line, everything
from how to transport sick patients to what
this would mean for the subway and rail net-
works in the state. Even before the first case
was announced, he had wrested special pow-
ers from the Legislature to deal with the
impending crisis. This week, the administra-
tion set up a war room, filled with maps and
whiteboards, to coordinate on tasks, like get-
ting five testing machines that it says were
manufactured in Singapore, from a company
that makes only 25 of them a month, shipped
to New York in the fastest way possible.
“You know how when you get into a car
and sometimes it says ‘operating mode’ and
‘sport mode’ and ‘all-wheel-drive mode’?,” he
said to me on Tuesday. “Well, government
has to shift the gear in a situation like this.
You go into emergency-management mode.
Emergency-management mode is a totally
different mode than normal operating mode.
It ’s not agency by agency; it’s a swat team of
senior officials who come together. You
mobilize the entire government.”
On Wednesday, Cuomo watched Trump’s
halting Oval Office address, the one that made
it clear, if it wasn’t already, that this was some-
thing Trump had definitely not signed up forwhen he ran for president. Immediately after,
Cuomo appeared on his brother Chris’s CNN
show, slamming the president’s speech. “This
is a massive governmental mobilization that
you need a real government to handle. This is
not political. You’re not going to do this on
Twitter. This is government, baby,” he said on
CNN. “We’re beyond wash your hands, my
brother. There is going to have to be major
shifts in society short term.”
By the next day, he was in his office talking to
lawyers, talking to leaders of business. He was
preparing for those shifts. Broadway theaters
were going to go dark. Bars and restaurants
would have to operate at 50 percent capacity.
The landscape was changing dramatically:
Even the testing issue had by then become
largely irrelevant, he said, just two days after he
told me it should be the state’s priority. It was
now time to prepare for a strain on the health-
care system. He put an order in that forbade
people from visiting their relatives in nursing
homes. He asked for retired and former doctors
and nurses to report for duty. School was still in
session even as some states closed entire school
systems, because doctors and nurses with chil-
dren were needed on the job. Mandatory elective-
surgery postponements were being considered.
They had been keeping the fires contained by
dousing the field with water, but the fire line
was certain to be broken. What had happened
in China and South Korea and Italy was certain
to happen here, too, but we could be ready.
And there was a shift, too, he thought, com-
ing in politics. Cuomo had been challenged in
2018 by Cynthia Nixon, a star of Sex and the
City who had not a day’s worth of experience in
government but still managed to get just over
a third of the vote from him in the Democratic
primary. In the midst of the most hectic and
terrifying week of his governorship, he could
not resist getting in a dig:
“Government, presidential elections—it was
tweets, it was all one-liners, it was all personal-
ity, character, celebrity. That’s what politics had
become. And all of a sudden, you have changed
the lens,” he said, while an aide brought him a
large Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. “Government is
about real capacity and real consequences and
really knowing what you’re doing and real lead-
ership. Elect the people who know what they’re
doing. Because you elect somebody because
they are a celebrity, or because they have a great
slogan, and then you ask them to perform,
what do they say? ‘I never told you I could per-
form. I told you I was good-looking. I told you
I tweeted a lot. I told you I had a great slogan.
I never told you I was competent.’ And by the
way, it’s really serious. It’s not about celebrity
and slogans. That is a stark shift. This is gov-
ernment at wartime.” ■“The last generation, they were very
used to freaking out this way, with
bombing, financial crisis, stuff like that.
Our generation hasn’t seen anything
like that.”
“If I haven’t died yet from my Juul or
the nasty ass bar I work in, I think I’ll
survive the coronavirus.”THURSDAY, MARCH 12
95 confirmed cases.The National Guard is deployed
to New Rochelle.Cuomo announces a ban on
gatherings of 500-plus people.The Archdiocese of New York
announces it will close its elementary
schools.The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Carnegie Hall, and the Museum of
Modern Art close. Broadway
suspends its shows.Wall Street has its worst finish
since 1987.The NCAA cancels March Madness.
Brazilian official who recently had
dinner with Trump tests positive
for the virus.The restaurant Racines NY announces
it will remove 40 percent of its tables
to make more personal space for
diners. “No need to side-eye the
strangers right next to you.”Upper East Side butchery Lobel’s
fills a $10,000 order to a brownstone
that includes 100 steaks, 100 racks of
lamb, 100 chicken breasts. “We’re a
little overwhelmed,” says co-owner
Mark Lobel. “It’s busier than the
holidays. One woman in Florida called
and said she was having someone turn
her refrigerator on in Rhode Island just
so she could have more freezer space.”A text with a weed dealer:
“Hey! Are you guys still
delivering?”
“We are still delivering. Want
us to send some? Our riders
are just being extra sanitary.”A statement from sex-party
operators, NYC Inferno:
“Our upcoming NYC Inferno party’s
theme was set to be A History of Sluts.
Our poster and social-media promotion
highlighted the history of ground-
breaking artists, leaders, philosophers,
writers, and historical figures who were
also horny sluts in order to show that
history is on a continuum, that some ofbevwhere 0.1 percent of people in the UWWwell we as Americans will respond and areble of handling a f● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
THE FIRST 13 DAYSTRANSMITTED
________ COPY ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EICTRANSMITTED0620FEA_Corona_lay [Print]_36899495.indd 28 3/13/20 9:55 PM28 newyork| march16–29, 2020
sign,justkeptdriving,knockingthetrooper
downandnearlyrunninghimover.
“Thepanicis theproblem,” hesays.“ ‘I have
toge t home,my kidsareat home,I havetoget
outofhere,a hurricane’s coming.’ Whetherit’s
a fire,a flood,whateverit is.Here,thepanic,the
anxiety, it’s peoplegettingafraidto get ona pub-
licbus.They couldbeafraidtoget ona subway.
They couldbeafraidtobeinManhattan.The
paniccouldbemoredestructivethanthevirus.”
Andhecreditsthefederalgovernment’s
responsewithfuelingat least someof thepanic.
“Thisonesaysthis,that onesaysthat, Trump
sayseverything’sfine,thisonesaysnoit’s not,
thisonesayswe’ll havea vaccinetomorrow, the
otheronegetsonandsaysit’s goingtobea
year,” Cuomosaid,adoptingthevoiceofthe
confusedtelevisionviewer.“NowI’mnervous.
It soundslike a science-fictionmovie.Whoam
I supposedtobelieve? What is thetruth?”
“Peoplehavetounderstandthisisnota
deathsentence,” headded.“It’sjust not.”
Conversationsaboutthevirusbeganinter-
nallylastyear. In February,onceit wasquite
clearthatthediseasewascominghereand
that there would be almost no federal
response,Cuomogathered 50 advisers—
health officials, lawyers, government-
operations specialists,health-insurance
regulators—togameoutwhat wascoming
andhowthestateshouldreact. Wouldthey
needtoquarantinepeople? Underwhat legal
authority?Howwouldthey enforcethequar-
antine? Andsoondowntheline,everything
fromhowtotransport sickpatientstowhat
thiswouldmeanforthesubwayandrailnet-
worksinthestate.Evenbeforethefirstcase
wasannounced,hehadwrestedspecialpow-
ersfromtheLegislaturetodealwiththe
impendingcrisis.Thisweek,theadministra-
tionsetupa warroom,filledwithmapsand
whiteboards,tocoordinateontasks,like get-
tingfivetestingmachinesthat it sayswere
manufacturedinSingapore,froma company
thatmakesonly 25 ofthema month,shipped
toNew Yorkinthefastestway possible.
“Youknowhowwhenyougetintoa car
andsometimesit says‘operatingmode’ and
‘sport mode’ and‘all-wheel-drivemode’?,”he
saidtomeonTuesday.“Well,government
hastoshiftthegearina situationlike this.
Yougo intoemergency-managementmode.
Emergency-managementmodeisa totally
differentmodethannormaloperatingmode.
It ’s notagencybyagency;it’s aswatteamof
seniorofficials whocometogether. You
mobilizetheentiregovernment.”
OnWednesday, CuomowatchedTrump’s
haltingOvalOfficeaddress,theonethat made
it clear,if it wasn’t already, that thiswassome-
thingTrumphaddefinitelynotsignedupfor
when he ran for president. Immediately after,
Cuomo appeared on his brother Chris’s CNN
show, slamming the president’s speech. “This
is a massive governmental mobilization that
you need a real government to handle. This is
not political. You’re not going to do this on
Twitter. This is government, baby,” he said on
CNN. “We’re beyond wash your hands, my
brother. There is going to have to be major
shiftsinsocietyshort term.”
By the next day, he was in his office talking to
lawyers, talking to leaders of business. He was
preparing for those shifts. Broadway theaters
were going to go dark. Bars and restaurants
would have to operate at 50 percent capacity.
The landscape was changing dramatically:
Even the testing issue had by then become
largely irrelevant, he said, just two days after he
told me it should be the state’s priority. It was
now time to prepare for a strain on the health-
care system. He put an order in that forbade
people from visiting their relatives in nursing
homes. He asked for retired and former doctors
and nurses to report for duty. School was still in
session even as some states closed entire school
systems, because doctors and nurses with chil-
dren were needed on the job. Mandatory elective-
surgery postponements were being considered.
They had been keeping the fires contained by
dousing the field with water, but the fire line
was certain to be broken. What had happened
in China and South Korea and Italy was certain
to happen here, too, but we could be ready.
And there was a shift, too, he thought, com-
ing in politics. Cuomo had been challenged in
2018 by Cynthia Nixon, a star of Sex and the
City who had not a day’s worth of experience in
government but still managed to get just over
a third of the vote from him in the Democratic
primary. In the midst of the most hectic and
terrifying week of his governorship, he could
not resist getting in a dig:
“Government, presidential elections—it was
tweets, it was all one-liners, it was all personal-
ity, character, celebrity. That’s what politics had
become. And all of a sudden, you have changed
the lens,” he said, while an aide brought him a
large Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. “Government is
about real capacity and real consequences and
really knowing what you’re doing and real lead-
ership. Elect the people who know what they’re
doing. Because you elect somebody because
they are a celebrity, or because they have a great
slogan, and then you ask them to perform,
what do they say? ‘I never told you I could per-
form. I told you I was good-looking. I told you
I tweeted a lot. I told you I had a great slogan.
I never told you I was competent.’ And by the
way, it’s really serious. It’s not about celebrity
and slogans. That is a stark shift. This is gov-
ernment at wartime.” ■THE FIRST 13 DAYS