6 GOVERNORS NED LAMONT OF CT, JOHN CARNEY OF DE, PHILIP MURPHY,NJ, ANDREW CUOMO OF NY, TOM WOLF OF PA, GINA RAIMONDO OF R.I. AGREE TO CREATE STATE REOPENING PLANS IN A WEEK THEN COORDINATE. MASSACHUSETTS JOINS TASK FORCE. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

GOVERNORS ON SAME PAGE: HEALTH RECOVERY PRIORITY BEFORE ECONOMIC RESTART

GOVERNOR CUOMO EXPLAINS HOW THE NORTHEAST 5-STATE COORDINATED, COOPERATIVE RECOVERY PLAN IS BEING DEVELOPED. (Albany Feed)

WPCNR RECOVERY REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 13, 2020:

Seven Governors of the northeastern states hardest hit by coronavirus infections agreed this afternoon to work together with three state experts from each of their states to develop a cohesive plan to reopen their states.

Late this afternoon, Governor Cumo’s office announced Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker had joined the group, commenting, “The Baker-Polito Administration looks forward to participating in discussions with neighboring states and experts regarding the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts also remains focused on efforts to expand testing, ensure hospital capacity and provide the necessary PPE to those on the front lines to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.

GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHY OF NEW JERSEY ON HEALTH AS A KEY FACTOR

All agreed recovery would depend on the state of the health of their states the primary priority before they open businesses to resuscitate their state economies.

The first step will be for each Governor to appoint a three person task force of state Chief of Staff, Economic officer and state Health officer to develop an individual state plan within a week and then the plan requirements by state would be formulated into one plan taking into account the interaction of the five adjacent states.

Three governors already had their staffs selected: Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York.

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York hosted the teleconference. Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Governor John Carney of Delaware, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Tom Wolfe of Pennsylvania and Governor Gina Raimomdo of Rhode Island attended the news conference via telephone Each agreed that, since not all were at a point where their states were at plateau stage of the coronavirus spread, that public health was the primary factor.

The task force of 18 experts who will be formulating each individual state reopening plan sequence will compare plans and adjust them in discussion with the six governors, beginning within a week.

Governor Cuomo expressed that Pennsylvania’s Governor Wolf’s comment that the coordinated plan had another mission to restore the sense of hope that has been devastated the dreams and hopes of thousands as a secondary collective catastrophe of the coronavirus.