NYC Mayor de Blasio Defends City's Response To Coronavirus

NEW YORK, NY — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken to calling the city's efforts against the outbreak of coronavirus as a "war" as the number of confirmed cases tops 30,000, but just two weeks ago the mayor was telling New Yorkers to go about their daily lives without fear of the disease.

During a Sunday morning appearance on CNN's "State of the Union with Jake Tapper, "de Blasio deflected criticism that his administration acted too slowly to curb the spread of the deadly virus in the city. De Blasio said Sunday, "we should not be focusing, in my view, on anything looking back on any level of government right now. This is just about how we save lives going forward."

The statements were made directly after the CNN host played clips from Jan. 24, Feb. 1, Feb. 14 and March 13 where de Blasio repeatedly assures New Yorkers to "go on about their lives." Numbers from the city Health Department show 30,765 confirmed coronavirus cases and 672 deaths in New York City as of Saturday, March 28.

"We all were working, everybody was working with the information we had and trying, of course, to avoid panic — and at that point for all of us trying to not only protect lives but keep the economy and the livelihoods together," de Blasio said during the Sunday CNN appearance.

De Blasio followed up that statement by saying, "this was a very different world just a short time ago, but the bottom line is none of us have time to look backwards," and reiterating his claim that New York City could run out of life-saving supplies such as ventilators, protective equipment for healthcare workers as soon as Sunday, April 5. The mayor did admit that questions about his administration's response to coronavirus were "fair," but should be examined "after this war is over."

The first positive case of coronavirus in New York City was confirmed on March 2. Mayor de Blasio declared a state of emergency in the city on March 12, the same day Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people in the state. The first New Yorker to die of coronavirus passed away on March 14, one of the days de Balsio told New Yorkers to continue "going on about their lives." City schools, bars and restaurants were not shut down until Monday, March 16.

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Earlier in the CNN appearance de Blasio downplayed a travel advisory issued Saturday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to refrain from any non-essential domestic travel for the next 14 days. De Blasio said the advisory shouldn't prevent New York City families from reuniting whether it means leaving or coming to the city.

"In the middle of a crisis, families have a right to be together," de Blasio said Sunday, adding that he wouldn't fixate on the advisory but instead how to secure more ventilators, protective equipment and medical personnel for the city.

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