The retort came after Mr. Cuomo said that New York could not fully reopen its economy without more widespread testing and help from the federal government. Even before Mr. Cuomo had
“First of all, if he’s sitting home watching TV, maybe he should get up and go to work, right?” Mr. Cuomo responded in real time. “Second, let’s keep emotion and politics out of this, and personal ego if we can. Because this is about the people.”
The governor added that he had already repeatedly thanked the federal government for its aid.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do — send a bouquet of flowers?” Mr. Cuomo asked.
Mr. Cuomo said another 630 people died of the virus in New York on Thursday, according to official state figures, bringing the total confirmed death toll to 12,822.
The daily number of deaths, Mr. Cuomo said, “refuses to come down dramatically,” adding that the toll was “breathtaking in its pain and grief and tragedy.”
Mr. Cuomo, who has extended the state’s broad shutdown until at least May 15, made his daily appearance hours before the start of a mandate for people in New York to wear face coverings in public places where they cannot keep six feet away from others. In buses and subways as well as in for-hire vehicles, everyone, including the driver or operator, must wear a covering, he said. The rule also applies to children as young as 2 years old.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings to protect those around them, a move that came after research showed that many people were infected but did not show symptoms. (Public health officials have warned against buying or hoarding the N95 masks needed by health care workers.)