Coronavirus Pandemic: Frustration with federal response grows

(NBC News) State and local leaders are warning delays in testing and contact tracing are hampering efforts to slow down COVID-19 and safely reopen the economy.

Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, cases are surging, hospitals are filling up and many of the same fights still raging on.

“There is no reason for this nation to be going through what it is going through now,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. “We learned these lessons months ago.”

Arkansas and Colorado are the latest to implement statewide mask mandates, while Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp is trying to

(NBC News) State and local leaders are warning delays in testing and contact tracing are hampering efforts to slow down COVID-19 and safely reopen the economy.

Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, cases are surging, hospitals are filling up and many of the same fights still raging on.

“There is no reason for this nation to be going through what it is going through now,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. “We learned these lessons months ago.”

Arkansas and Colorado are the latest to implement statewide mask mandates, while Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp is trying to reverse mask orders in at least 15 cities in his state.

Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms remains defiant.

“If you want to protect yourself and your customers, you should wear a mask,” she says. “Our policies are enforceable and they stand.”

With state and local leaders each following their own path, many are facing critical delays in testing and struggling to establish contact tracing. They’re once again looking to the Trump administration for a coordinated federal response.

“They’re the ones that have the experts that should be guiding this crisis,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez says.

Read more: https://nbcnews.to/3fwIfUy