Gov. Cuomo Pivots to Remote Press Conferences, After 10 Months In-Person

By Yehudit Garmaise

    After holding mostly in-person press conferences since the pandemic started 10 months ago, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last night that, due to rising COVID rates, he will now deliver his press conferences in a remote set-up, in which the governor can be asked questions via call-in numbers used by reporters, who simultaneously view the governor’s briefings on their computers or phones. 

    Although Gov. Cuomo just moved his briefings from in-person to remote,  Mayor Bill de Blasio has been holding remote, online press conferences since the pandemic began in March.

     The governor’s senior adviser Rich Azzopardi cited the newest guidelines, released Friday, of the Centers for Disease Control, which said that,  “given the reality of rising cases in New York, going remote is now the most prudent action,” he said. “We are making every effort to protect public health and balance it with the need for reporters across the state to continue to have access and to do their jobs.”

    Azzopardi also told the New York Post that while the governor has placed a large importance on staying accessible to the media, who can, in turn, educate the public about the pandemic, the governor’s office “has worked with the Legislative Correspondents Association [the reporters who cover him] to decrease room density, put protections in place and ensure that ever-evolving health and safety protocols were being followed.” 

  To protect the reporters who cover the governor and New York state legislature in Albany, Gov. Cuomo’ administration made changes in line with COVID-19 restrictions health protocols, such as limiting additional staff entry, taking temperatures at the door, reducing room capacity, and adding extra space between reporters’ chairs.

   Gov. Cuomo also announced last week that going into the winter months, he will continue to provide his press conferences, which he often points out are viewed and considered helpful by many Americans, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

(Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)