Cuomo Unveils Plans To Reopen Arts, Offer Pop-Up Rapid Testing

LONG ISLAND, NY — The curtain will rise again on stages left dark and shuttered throughout the long days and nights of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

During the second part of his 2021 State of the State address, Cuomo said efforts toward reconstruction after the coronavirus battle must ensue.

For points outlined in Cuomo's first address Monday, including legalization of recreational use marijuana and online betting, click here.

First priorities, he said, must include controlling the spread while at the same time, ramping up the vaccination plan. Goals include stabilizing the state's finances, investing in infrastructure, and creating the largest green energy plan in the country, he said.

Although the vaccination is the weapon that will win the war, with critical mass possibly not reached until December, ways to reopen the economy must be found to avoid shutdowns, financial trauma, and psychological hardship, Cuomo said.

A Buffalo Bills game used as a model for mass rapid testing last weekend meant that 7,000 fans were tested by the New York State Department of Health in drive-thrus, with each test lasting about five minutes, he said. That model can be used to reopen businesses smartly and safely, including theaters, office buildings, and sporting venues, Cuomo said.

The choice was never between public health and economic stability; instead, it was always about finding ways to find a balance, Cuomo said. To move forward, he said, "Testing is key."

Pop-up rapid testing

Rapid testing equals great possibilities, Cuomo said. New York State will work with the real estate community to open additional pop-up rapid testing sites.

In addition, the state will work with property owners to reopen major companies that have enough space and will agree to test all tenants on a regular basis, Cuomo said. "Office buildings are the engines of our economy," he said, adding that reopening offices will mean ridership on mass transit, customers at stores and restaurants, and new life on streets long devoid of life.

Return of the arts

Arts are the pulse and energy of cities and towns, Cuomo said. "New York is not New York without Broadway," he said. "We must bring culture and art back to life. Almost no one was hurt more by Covid than our artists."

Cuomo cited statistics from the New York State Endowment for the Arts that indicated 52 percent of actors have been out of work and 27 percent of musicians, as well, due to the pandemic. In New York, culture accounts for almost a half-million jobs and generates $120 billion for the economy each year, he said.

"We cannot wait until summer to turn the lights back on for the arts and provide a living wage for artists," Cuomo said, adding that the state "will not let the curtain fall."

He announced a New York State arts revival program, a private-public partnership that will orchestrate pop-up performances statewide in parks and other spaces; the first will kick off February 4. Artists already signed on include Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, Renee Fleming, Wynton Marsalis, Hugh Jackman, and other theater, symphony, comedy, and dance groups.

Also, a plan is in motion to put 1,000 artists back to work and fund dozens of community arts groups, Cuomo said. "The show will go on. The fans will be back and New York will be New York again," Cuomo said.

A new business model

Some businesses will never go back to the pre-pandemic model and New York must be ready to embrace the new reality, not deny the changes of the Zoom and work-from-home environment, Cuomo said.

To that end, affordable high-speed broadband should be available to all, and Cuomo said he plans to mandate internet companies offer $15/month broadband to low-income households, with a fund available for families who cannot afford the $15.

The "low tide" of the pandemic exposed glaring systemic racism and social inequity, which Cuomo hopes to rectify as he addresses disparities, he said.

Converting commercial space

Cuomo also plans to transform vacant hotel and office space into affordable housing and supportive housing for the homeless.

New job plan

The governor also plans to tackle systemic racism by creating a Jobs of the Future program, enrolling state employers, who will provide new training for low income and underserved community members.

Looking ahead, Cuomo said New Yorkers need to look to the light at the end of the coronavirus journey.

"This light illuminated a new path of possibility for our state," he said. "Let us celebrate the light and carry it into the future."