The coalition includes the tri-state region, along with New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The governors have been working together during the pandemic and now the group will form a powerful buying consortium for the future.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Sunday during a press briefing. Cuomo welcomed his partner governors to the briefing remotely to talk about the new group.
The consortium will work as one to purchase masks, gowns, ventilators, test kits, and other medical equipment, buying larger quantities in order to get better prices. Delaware Gov. John Carney admitted this was the only way his small state had a chance.
"You know if we're going head to head with New York, we’re not gonna get it," Carney told Cuomo. "If we're along shoulder to shoulder with you, with Gov. Wolf, with Gov. Murphy, we've got a better chance of getting a better price and getting the product we need."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf echoed Carney's statement, saying, "We need to help our hospitals, our healthcare workers, we need to help our longterm care facilities, our first responders, all those things. What we're doing is pulling together to make sure we’re doing all those things."
But Wolf added that procuring equipment wasn't the group's only goal. "It's not just the equipment. We really need to work together to build the capacity to test or we're not gonna be able to give our citizens the confidence they need to go back to work, back to school, back to the store, or back to worship," he said.
"The notion of coordinating together as a region makes an enormous amount of sense, so sign me up and sign New Jersey up," declared New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
The group will select only those vendors proven responsible during the coronavirus crises with an emphasis on choosing products made in America from companies in the northeast region.
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The latest on coronavirus cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 962 new positive cases of COVID-19, raising the statewide total to 49,267. 26 new deaths were confirmed as well, bringing Pennsylvania's death toll to 2,444.
New Jersey's Department of Health officials announced 3,144 new cases of coronavirus, lifting the state's total to 126,744. 137 additional deaths were also reported. 7,871 New Jersey residents have died to date.