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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to receive an Emmy Award, usually given to those in the television industry, for his use of the medium in his response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, one of the organizations that awards the Emmys, said Cuomo’s award, the Founder’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”.
Previous recipients of the award are Oprah Winfrey and former US Vice President Al Gore.
Cuomo said Friday that the recognition is “flattering” and that “it is flattering for the inhabitants of [New York]”. He joked that reporters at the press conference “helped me hone my presentation and acting skills.”
In the early months of the pandemic, with New York City at the center of the global pandemic, Cuomo’s popularity exploded as people across the country tuned in to his daily televised news briefs. His approval rating has risen to 77% – a record in nearly 10 years as governor – and he has even developed a global following, especially in relation to the chaotic briefings given by Donald Trump.
“He represents the kind of leadership we should have in the presidency and not,” Jackie Speier, a congresswoman from California, told the New York Times in March.
But as the pandemic continued, some of Cuomo’s fame and popularity waned. Instead, the governor began to be criticized for a directive he implemented in March that guided nursing homes – which ultimately recorded more than 6,600 deaths, or about a quarter of all deaths in the city – to accept patients who had or were suspected of having Covid- 19.
Cuomo changed the order in May, but at that time, nursing homes admitted more than 6,000 Covid-positive patients, according to the state health department. While reports have indicated that nursing home staff, not other patients, were the main cause of the spread in nursing homes, some public health experts and nursing home executives have expressed skepticism at with regard to this research.
Then, on Wednesday, the governor angrily blasted during a press briefing when a reporter asked Cuomo about news that New York City public schools would be closing after a recent spate of cases in the city.
“Let’s try not to be obnoxious and offensive in your tone,” Cuomo told the reporter. When a fellow reporter said the question was valid, Cuomo replied, “Well, I don’t care what you think.”
Some critics on Twitter – including some Democrats – denounce the recognition, saying it ignores the problems the state experienced during the pandemic under Cuomo.
Max Berger, Democratic consultant and organizer, on Twitter posted caustically, “This award makes sense because Cuomo is not actually a competent and empathetic governor – he only plays one on TV.”
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