NYC official says city received 'radio silence' from state health department during epidemic's early days

A New York City official and employeee claim New York's state health department broke off routine sharing of information and strategy regarding the coronavirus outbreak in Febrary, ProPublic reports.

The official said the city received "radio silence" from Albany, which, at times, continues to this day. The city employee told ProPublica that they struggle to get basic data, such as counts of ventilators at hospitals or nursing home staff. "It's like they have been ordered not to talk to us," the person said.

Additionally, the city official said that two weeks ago, the state abruptly informed the city it no longer needed its help assisting in identifying and responding to outbreaks in city nursing homes, where more than 5,000 people have died of COVID-19.

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Whether the claims are true — and an official in the Cuomo administration maintains the state is working closely with all local health departments — a longstanding feud between New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has been on display throughout the state's epidemic, clearly causing some confusion. The pair have often delivered different messages about the outbreak and bickered over who has authority to make certain decisions. Read more at ProPublica.