People who visited Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic would be tested for the virus, the governor said Wednesday, responding for the first time to reports his family members had access when supplies were scarce.
But at the same time, Cuomo said he was not deeply involved at that level of testing for COVID.
"If you came to see me in my office, you would be tested, and that applied with my family, also," Cuomo said at a news conference discussing the state budget agreement.
Family members of the governor were reportedly tested for COVID last year, with state workers deployed to administer the tests. State Police troopers were used to bring the test samples back to Albany in at least one instance, according The Washington Post.
The issue is one of several controversies Cuomo has been facing since the start of the year, alongside allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior, which the governor has denied.
Questions surrounding preferential testing access for members of the Cuomo family are now part of the Assembly's impeachment investigation.
"The Assembly is looking at the testing issue and I don't want to get ahead of them," Cuomo said. "I was not involved in the testing program at that intimate level."