Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A day after being tasked with overseeing the reopening of Western New York, Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul said she is walking a very fine line. "There's no way we want to keep the economy and society shut down a day longer than necessary, but we're not going to reopen it a day sooner than it is safe," she told WBEN's Sandy Beach Wednesday morning.
"This is a war. I can't thank your listeners enough for their courage, resiliency and sacrifice. People's lives have been turned upside down but we had to do this or else we would be burying a lot more people today and none of us want to see that happen."
Hochul said she is getting called by everybody who has her phone number. She said the decision on reopening will be a data driven. "One thing we cannot let happen is open too early and end up back where we started. "It will be based on controlling the spread, hospital capacity and what is happening day to day.