NY state health website deletes Cuomo's order forcing nursing homes to accept virus patients

On March 25th the incompetent dictator of New York, Andrew Cuomo, issued an "order" requiring nursing homes to accept patients infected with the virus.  This killed about 5,300 elderly residents of the homes.

Now the state health department deleted that order from its website.  So like magic, Cuomo defenders can say "He never ordered that.  It never happened.  This is 'disinformation,' and if you try to post this on Twatter or Fakebook we'll get our FACT CHECKERS delete your post and close your account!"

Cool, huh?  As George Orwell predicted, a government that can remove history can con people into believing any version the rulers want.

The web page that contained the order now says "file not found."  Internet archives show that the deletion occurred sometime after May 5, around the time that criticism over New York's nursing home fatalities intensified.

Cuomo's order stated

 "No resident shall be denied readmission or admission to the NH [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. NHs [Nursing homes] are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission."

But remember, citizen:  He never ordered that.  It didn't happen.

Then two weeks ago Cuomo issued a new order, this time decreeing that hospitals couldn't send patients back to nursing homes unless the patient tested negative for the virus.  But wait...I thought the March 5th order said nursing homes couldn't decline people with the virus.  Now the "new" order says people can't be admitted to a nursing home unless they've been tested, and are negative.

Well THAT's a total reversal, eh?  Suggesting Cuomo's earlier order--which killed 5,300 or so--was a total f-up. 

"Oh NO, citizen.  That's not a reversal.  Really!"   A Cuomo communications director insisted that it was "not accurate" to state that Cuomo had "reversed" the March 25 order.

"He didn't reverse or rescind anything," the doofus wrote. "The order is still in effect. He did add a directive, this one directed at hospitals, saying they must test patients and the patients must be negative before being sent back to a nursing home. And he is requiring nursing homes to test staff twice a week."

Ah, got it.  The reversal is NOT a reversal--his Excellency merely "added a directive."  Got it.  Here's more from the spokesliar.  See if you can make sense of it:

"DOH posted updated guidance that builds on the original March 25 guidance which barred nursing homes from discriminating against COVID patients.  The updated guidance didn’t supersede the March 25th guidance – rather, it added a new requirement that says hospitals cannot discharge patients to nursing homes until they test negative. Then and now, nursing homes cannot discriminate against COVID patients and they cannot accept patients if they aren’t able to provide adequate care, including staff screenings, PPE and infection control measures like cohorting."

Note how cunningly Team Cuomo has re-cast this as "we don't allow discrimination!"  Oh, right: So on March 25 nursing homes could NOT require prospective patients to be tested, cuz da goobernor he don' like dat discrimination.  And now you MUST test prospective patients, cuz dat would be...wait for it...discrimination.

This insanity was too much even for some reporters, so on Saturday, Cuomo simply blamed any problems on President Trump and his administration.

"New York followed the president's agencies' guidance," Cuomo said during his press conference. "... What New York did was follow what the Republican Administration said to do. That's not my attempt to politicize it. It's my attempt to depoliticize it. So don't criticize the state for following the president's policy."