New York Helps St. Pete Through Coronavirus Partnership

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The city of St. Petersburg has partnered with the state of New York, whose officials want to help St. Pete provide more coronavirus testing and preventative supplies to its residents as confirmed coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket in the Sunshine State.

A new testing site that opened at 5501 31st St. South in St. Pete on Wednesday is in partnership with the city and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In a conference call Monday with Cuomo and St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman, the governor expressed his gratitude to the many nurses and doctors from around the nation who volunteered to travel to the state of New York and worked in the state's emergency rooms at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo said he is paying the generosity forward to St. Pete.

"In our time of need, I asked on one dark day when I was doing a briefing for volunteers to come help us," Cuomo said. "I asked for doctors and nurses to come to New York, and 30,000 people from across the county rolled up their sleeves to help. I know I speak for all New Yorkers when I say we will always be grateful for that help that came to us, and we are paying back the favor today by sending PPE to St. Petersburg, where we've worked together to establish a community testing site. We will continue to return the favor and lend help to whoever needs it."

Cuomo pointed out the family relationship New York and Florida enjoy since many Floridians visit New York and vice versa. He also said he was sorry to see what Florida is going through with its high numbered coronavirus cases: 451, 423 reported by the Florida Department of Health as of Wednesday.

The city said New York has donated these supplies to St. Pete:

• 3,800 test kits
• 7,500 gloves
• 7,500 gowns
• 7,500 N95 Masks
• 7,500 face shields
• 40,000 surgical masks
• 2,000 gallons of sanitizer
• 200 goggles
• iPads to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital

Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Pete told the city that if it could get iPads to help meet the demand for increased virtual appointments as they take care of children who have tested positive for coronavirus, in addition to all the children they help through appointments, this would help them tremendously. New York responded by donating iPads.

Kriseman thanked Cuomo on the call for his leadership skills, especially communication skills, since he said that a lot of politicians don't follow through on promises they make, but believes that Cuomo has.

"We're not getting good, clear, concise factually based communications from Washington," said Kriseman to Cuomo on the conference call. "A lot of state capitals—it's not coming from, but we've gotten it from you. Your residents have, really the entire country I think, has really benefited from how clear and concise and accurate you have been and everything that you've said and commanding."

Kriseman said that St. Pete followed the mask mandate example set by New York, and as of Wednesday the mayor said the Pinellas County positive numbers rate has been under seven percent within the last seven days. Kriseman wishes that the entire state of Florida would have a mask mandate because he believes that would help Florida's numbers decrease.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Florida Department of Health reported that the total positive number of cases across Pinellas County is 15,800; 1,405 hospitalizations and 400 deaths.

The state of Florida's latest reported positive coronavirus cases by the Florida Department of Health is 451, 423; 25,499 hospitalizations and 6,457 deaths.