During a global pandemic, public officials make life-or-death decisions. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered thousands of COVID-positive patients into nursing homes. That decision sparked outrage — and raised serious questions about the value Cuomo placed on human life.

Those questions are all the more salient now that the disgraced former governor is running for mayor of New York City.

If leaders like Cuomo face no consequences for decisions that cost thousands of lives, what message does that send about whose lives count?

Why did he reject alternatives like the Mercy hospital ships or the Javits Center? Why send infected patients into the state’s most vulnerable population?

You don’t need to be a political opponent to see the problem. You just need a working brain. Cuomo knew exactly what he was doing. He signed off on a policy that condemned thousands of elderly residents to die.

Public health experts and elder care professionals raised alarms well before the policy went into effect. They warned about the risks. Cuomo ignored them.

Cuomo’s refusal to adjust course reveals a deeper failure of leadership: He would not admit he was wrong. In a crisis, leaders need flexibility and critical thinking — not stubborn pride. This wasn’t just a bad call. It was a deliberate decision made with full knowledge of the risks.

On March 25, 2020, Gov. Cuomo issued a now-infamous directive. It required nursing homes to accept hospital patients discharged with COVID-19.

The directive read:

There is an urgent need to expand hospital capacity in New York State. ... All NHs must comply with the expedited receipt of residents returning from hospitals to NHs. No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.

The stated goal was to free up hospital beds. But the logic collapsed under scrutiny. Nursing homes were already overwhelmed. They lacked the tools, staffing, and infrastructure to contain a deadly, airborne virus.

Instead of isolating the vulnerable, Cuomo funneled COVID-positive patients directly into their midst. The result? Nursing homes became ground zero for death and disease.

The fallout was catastrophic. Thousands of nursing home residents contracted COVID-19, and many died as a direct result of Cuomo’s order. Families lost loved ones who should have been protected — not exposed to a deadly virus. His policy didn’t just endanger the elderly; it revealed a chilling indifference to human life.

During a fiery legislative hearing, Cuomo admitted he never consulted health experts before issuing the directive. That admission exposed a stunning lack of accountability and foresight. And it raised a pressing question: Why did he ignore safer alternatives that could have reduced the risk to nursing home residents?

At the time, viable options were available. The USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, sat in New York Harbor. The Javits Center had been converted into a field hospital. Both were equipped to care for patients recovering from COVID-19 — patients who still needed medical support but didn’t belong in elder care facilities.

Using those resources could have eased pressure on hospitals and spared nursing home residents from exposure. Instead, Cuomo sent COVID-positive patients into the most vulnerable communities. His failure to use safer alternatives wasn’t a mistake — it was gross negligence. It raises serious questions about his judgment and priorities.

At a May 5, 2020, press conference, Cuomo posed a rhetorical question: “How much is a human life worth?” He answered himself: “Life is priceless.” But his actions told another story. By sending critically ill elderly patients into elder care facilities, he treated those lives as disposable.

This wasn’t just a contradiction — it revealed a systemic failure in public health leadership. When government officials treat the elderly as expendable, they destroy trust in the very system they are supposed to uphold. Cuomo had a duty to protect those most at risk. Instead, he put them in harm’s way.

In the aftermath, grieving families demanded answers. They wanted justice for loved ones lost in facilities meant to care for them. But Cuomo’s administration withheld data and dodged responsibility, fueling justified public outrage.

As time passes, the silence grows louder. If leaders like Cuomo face no consequences for decisions that cost thousands of lives, what message does that send about whose lives count?

Cuomo’s pandemic failures should have served as a warning for future leaders. Instead, with corrupt judges in his corner, he walked away untouched. Apparently, if your political connections run deep enough, you really can get away with murder.

In a brazen move, Judge Katherine Failla dismissed the lawsuit against Cuomo, confirming once again that accountability vanishes when the judiciary protects the powerful. No need to investigate the deadly fallout of Cuomo’s nursing home order — just bury the evidence and preserve the status quo.

Well done, your honor! Your loyalty to corrupt politicians is impressive. One wonders what your financial disclosures might reveal.

To every family who lost a loved one because of Cuomo’s reckless, politically motivated policies: You deserved better. He ignored science. He ignored warnings. And worst of all, he ignored the people he was sworn to protect.

The value of human life should never be up for debate. It must guide every decision made by those in power. In a crisis, leaders face moral tests — and we have every right to demand better. Every life is priceless. Unless, of course, you’re Andrew Cuomo, who seemed far too aware of just how lucrative death could be.