Schumer pushes for release of federal money COVID-19

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MIDDLETOWN – The Hudson Valley incurred 285 positive COVID cases November 1. On November 22, the number jumped threefold to 911 positive cases.

Now Senator Charles Schumer wants the federal government to work on financing testing with billions of dollars already set aside to do so.

“The federal government can do first is release the $9 billion for the testing so desperately needed and second pass our legislation to provide the PPE so desperately needed,” said Schumer.

Schumer made his comments Tuesday afternoon at the Cornerstone Family Healthcare Center in Middletown, and he wants the Senate to provide $1 billion for small businesses and $10 billion for PPE in the still waiting to be passed bill that he crafted known as the Protect Our Heroes Act of 2020 after helping get a relief bill passed in the spring.

“We got money for community health centers and hospitals. We got some money for testing. We got money for PPE. That was passed in March, and everyone thought COVID would be gone by the summer. It’s raging, so we need to do even more now,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to get done.”

When Congress returns after the Thanksgiving break, Schumer expects members to work on COVID relief into the holidays.

“We’re going to try and get as much done was can by the New Year,” he said. “We need it desperately.”

Linda Muller, president and chief executive officer of Cornerstone, said the virus is back, and she blames the case hike on complacency, Halloween parties, and students returning home from college.

“It’s been extremely busy. We have seen an uptick in the last four weeks of testing and a large uptick in the number of positive cases,” she said. “People have COVID fatigue, so they don’t necessarily want to follow all the rules. Put two or three people together, and they’re unsafe. The virus is there, and the virus will spread.”




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