NY Protests 'Righteous,' But Could Reignite Coronavirus: Cuomo

NEW YORK CITY — Speaking in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo only briefly touched on the coronavirus pandemic during his daily update, instead calling on protesters to be smart, avoid violence and not spread the virus.

Cuomo reported that the death toll in the state continues to fall, with 54 coronavirus deaths reported statewide May 31. In addition to the improving numbers, Cuomo announced that five upstate regions are entering phase 2 of reopening today, followed by western New York on Tuesday and the Capital Region on Wednesday.

"We had 800 people die in one day," Cuomo said. "We had the worst situation in the United States of America. At one point, we had the worst situation on the globe. And we're now reopening in less than 50 days."

But the good news about the virus was overshadowed by the protest and riots that were taking place across the country over the death of George Floyd, killed in police custody in Minneapolis. Protests were happening around the state, and broke into riots in some places, including in New York City.

"I share the outrage and I stand with the protesters," Cuomo said. "You look at that video of the killing of an unarmed man, Mr. Floyd. It is horrendous. It's frightening. It perverts everything you believe about this country. And there's no excuse for it. No right-minded American would make an excuse for it."

Cuomo warned protesters that any violence that breaks out could have unintended consequences, and that the protests themselves could result in the further spread of the coronavirus, which could set back the progress the state has made fighting the virus.

"The violence in these protests obscures the righteousness of the message," Cuomo said. "The people who are exploiting the situation, the looting: that's not protesting. That's not righteous indignation. That's criminality. And it plays into the hands of the people and the forces that don't want to make the changes in the first place, because then they can dismiss the entire effort."

The governor said he is meeting with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to discuss a curfew for the city. He also said the National Guard is on standby to help across the state, but added that he doesn't know if the New York Police Department needs the extra support.

Cuomo also spoke out against the violence perpetrated by NYPD officers that was caught on video. He said he has directed New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the NYPD's response to the protests and issue a report within 30 days.

And though he stands with the protesters, Cuomo warned them not to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" in the fight against the coronavirus. It will be at least two weeks before it's known how many people, if any, were infected with the virus at the protests.

"We don't even know the consequence with the COVID virus of those mass gatherings," he said. "We won't know possibly for weeks. How many super spreaders were in that crowd?"