Katie Pavlich explains at Townhall.com why New York city and state leaders deserve some blame for the damage COVID-19 has inflicted on the rest of the country.

[B]ad decisions made by politicians in the hardest-hit areas, specifically New York, should not go unnoticed as we start to pull away from the pandemic.

On March 2, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was encouraging residents to continue their regular behavior. He even gave them ideas about what to do in crowded areas. …

… When things got serious just a week later, and New York City came under siege from the disease, de Blasio berated the federal government and President Trump for failing to send medical supplies or personal protective equipment. But it turned out, de Blasio didn’t order them. …

… When cases in New York City and the surrounding areas got out of control, President Trump floated the idea of shutting down travel to and from the state. [Gov. Andrew] Cuomo was irate and said a quarantine of New York would be a “federal declaration of war.”

According to a tracing study detailed by The New York Times, the disease spread around the country as New Yorkers traveled. …

… It turns out an early quarantine could have saved the rest of the country from economic havoc. But back to New York.

Since the beginning of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, one thing has been clear: the elderly are the most likely to die from the disease. Despite this fact, Governor Cuomo mandated that nursing homes accept virus patients. Workers from these homes pleaded patients be sent to hospitals or the USNS Mercy, but they were ignored. The results have been horrific and deadly. …

… Further, Cuomo’s stay-at-home and shelter in place orders have been ineffective.

Follow Carolina Journal Online’s continuing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.