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Andrew Cuomo to receive Emmy award for televised Covid-19 briefings, Internet asks 'an Emmy for causing deaths’?

'The Governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,' an International Academy President & CEO, Bruce L. Paisne, said

New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo is being conferred with one of the most notable television awards – an Emmy Award – for his use of the television medium to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which awards Emmys for work of excellence in television said Cuomo’s award is “in recognition of his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world”.

The International Emmy Awards Twitter handle posted the update on November 20. “Gov Andrew M Cuomo of NY will receive the International Emmy Founders Award in recognition of his leadership during the Covid19 pandemic & his masterful use of TV to inform & calm people around the world. The Emmy will be presented to NY Gov Cuomo.” 

Cuomo’s popularity as a leader saw a meteoric rise at the beginning of this year due to his blunt-talking daily televised press briefings. “The Governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,” said International Academy President & CEO, Bruce L. Paisner. “People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and New York tough became a symbol of the determination to fight back.”
 
Cuomo’s briefings came at a time when New York City was grappling with the high no. of cases of the pandemic. As a result of the highly demanded televised briefings, Cuomo’s approval ratings rose to 77% – a record in his nearly 10 years as governor – and he even developed a worldwide following, in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s chaotic briefings as reported by The Guardian. “He represents the kind of leadership we should have in the presidency and don’t,” Jackie Speier, a congresswoman from California, told the New York Times. 

However, the 62-year-old governor's approval ratings dipped and his popularity waned gradually. This happened after Cuomo was flogged for a directive he implemented on March 25. The directive guided nursing homes – which saw more than 6,600 deaths– to accept patients who had or were suspected to have Covid-19.

The directive read, “Directive is being issued to clarify expectations for nursing homes (NHs) receiving residents returning from hospitalization and for NHs accepting new admissions. Hospital discharge planning staff and NHs should carefully review this guidance with all staff directly involved in resident admission, transfer, and discharges. During this global health emergency, all NHs must comply with the expedited receipt of residents returning from hospitals to NHs. Residents are deemed appropriate for return to an NH upon a determination by the hospital physician or designee that the resident is medically stable for return. Hospital discharge planners must confirm to the NH, by telephone, that the resident is medically stable for discharge.”
 
It added, “No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.”A source criticized the March order of Cuomo and said as reported by USA Today, “At first, we didn’t blame anyone for their deaths. This is a pandemic, and the virus is particularly dangerous for the elderly. Then we learned about the Cuomo administration’s March 25 order that recovering coronavirus patients be placed into nursing homes. The mandate also barred nursing homes from requiring incoming patients ‘to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission’”.
 
The source threw light on the number of deaths for which they blame Cuomo’s order. “To date, at least 6,500 of our most helpless seniors have been killed by the virus. Even the governor himself said the virus could sweep though nursing homes ‘like fire through dry grass’” 

Now as Emmy is being given to Cuomo for his television briefings people are bringing out Cumo’s March order that allowed entry of recovering Covid-19 patients into Nursing holmes. Many people hold Cuomo responsible for the deaths of many elderly people at Nursing Holmes owing to the March order. A user wrote blasting Cuomo, “Gov. Cuomo is getting an Emmy for having the highest death rate in the U.S with 1/3 of those due to his nursing homes debacle, wrecking the biggest city in the world causing 250K to flee & for being the only governor violating a rarely known Amendment of all time → 3rd Amendment.”

Another wrote on the credibility of Emmy, “International Emmy Awards just lost any credibility it had. Governor Cuomo sent thousands of senior’s into nursing homes with covid causing thousands of deaths and he gets an award? Unbelievable.” Another concurred, “An Emmy for his leadership that killed thousands in nursing homes? Oh, so now they give Emmy's for causing the death of the vulnerable.” A user wrote on deaths due to the March order, “He ‘helped’ 6k elderly moms and dads die. Thanks for the memories.” A user wrote against Cuomo, “I haven't watched the Emma's in years, but I will never watch one again if you idiots give God. Andrew Cuomo an Emmy for his leadership during Covid. Anyone who would put Covid + people back in nursing homes causing unnecessary deaths shouldn't be rewarded he should be slapped.” Some called Cuomo a leader in the pandemic, “This is going to really grind Donald Trump's gears! Governor Cuomo is being acknowledged as a real leader during the pandemic!”