New York Governor Cuomo calls coronavirus ‘The Grinch,’ but critics say he’s the real villain

In a briefing on Monday, Cuomo painted a picture of a cheerful Christmas season, as festive music jingled in the background. 

“We’re now all happy and cheery and we’re going to come together. We’re doing gift buying, and we’re going to do holiday celebrations, we’re gonna start to have meals together, families coming together,” he mused, before issuing a stark warning for anyone lulled into a false sense of holiday cheer.

“Yeah,” he said. “Covid is The Grinch. Think of it that way. And the Covid Grinch is an opportunist, and the Covid Grinch sees this as the season of viral transmission.” 

According to Cuomo, all of the Christmas activities he listed out increase the risk of the coronavirus, and citizens should be “on alert” during what would normally be a time of relaxation and celebration. To help viewers along, Cuomo hummed the theme song to ‘The Grinch,’ asking them to think about it every time they consider meeting with others this festive season.

Cuomo’s televised briefings landed him an Emmy award earlier this month, with the International Emmy Awards organization describing his use of TV as “masterful.”

His latest performance, however, fell flat. Cuomo was attacked on Twitter for his own record of handling the virus, particularly for ordering nursing homes to accept Covid patients back in March, for presiding over the state with the nation’s highest death rate per 100,000, and for writing a book on the “leadership lessons” he learned during the pandemic.

He was also mocked for his apparent misunderstanding of the classic Christmas story, in which residents of the fictional Whoville continued celebrating Christmas despite the Grinch’s best efforts to ruin the mood. The story ends with the people of Whoville inviting the Grinch in to celebrate with them, something Cuomo more than likely doesn’t want New Yorkers to do with Covid-19. 

Cuomo’s modern spin on Dr. Seuss’ story is not the first time Cuomo has attempted to scare New Yorkers away from family celebrations. Earlier this month he urged them to stay away from their loved ones at Thanksgiving, warning them “Your safe zone is not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year.”

More than 641,000 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in New York, along with over 34,500 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Nationally, more than 13 million cases and 267,000 deaths have been recorded. 

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