Andrew Yang on plans to ‘speed up’ New York return after COVID



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New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang on Friday detailed his plans to “speed up” the city’s return, saying technology can play a role in keeping residents safe as the city recovers from the pandemic of coronavirus. Yang, a tech entrepreneur who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, is one of dozens of candidates vying to replace lame mayor Bill de Blasio.

“I think I can accelerate our return from the coronavirus. I think I can help make New York the post-COVID return city it will take for so many New Yorkers to get our lives back,” Yang said . CBSN anchor Lana Zak Friday.

Yang said simply vaccinating residents would not be enough for the city to recover, as many might not feel comfortable eating in restaurants and bars or attending Broadway shows if those who do surrounding them have not been vaccinated.

“One way to speed up this process is to have an immunization passport that you can have on your smartphone,” Yang said. “You can just demonstrate very quickly that you’ve been vaccinated and you can go to that restaurant or place and then take off your mask and literally breathe easier knowing that everyone has been vaccinated.”

Yang also suggested using ice cream trucks as mobile vaccination sites to speed up vaccination. “We must try to vaccinate the inhabitants of their neighborhood. The reality is that many New Yorkers are not so mobile, they may be old and infirm, they may not be able to easily take the subway or the bus, “Yang said.” So if we can get it to them. a vaccine in their parking lot, near their building, either via a vehicle or by having a site that is right on their block, that’s what we have to do. ”

Yang was never elected to a public office but kicked off his political career during the 2020 presidential campaign, in which he surpassed de Blasio. He became known for his Universal Basic Income Plan, which promised adult Americans $ 1,000 per month. He wants to offer a modified plan to New Yorkers, giving $ 2,000 a year to people living in extreme poverty.

When announcing his campaign, Yang pledged to improve broadband internet access, “take back control” of the metro and “smartly reopen.”

Yang has been criticized for leaving town with his wife and two children during the pandemic. He said his family moved to the Hudson Valley during the crisis in part to help his autistic son adjust, and noted on Friday that during this time he was also campaigning for President Joe Biden and the Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as for the Democrats. candidates in Georgia.

But he was also criticized for saying it was difficult to have two children attending a virtual school in a two-bedroom apartment while trying to work from home, a situation others who did not go to. .

“I think people understand that families are struggling big and small right now. I think very deeply and constantly about what families are going through,” he said of reviews that he was out of touch. . “People understand that if you see a quote in print, out of context, that doesn’t mean that I don’t think about what people are going through every day.”

New York Democratic voters will vote in a June primary. The winner of this race is expected to win the general election in November.

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