Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Two Queens councilmen recently called on Mayor de Blasio to fire City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot, M.D.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Two borough legislators recently challenged Mayor Bill de Blasio to fire City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot, M.D., for failing “to keep New York City ahead of the [COVID-19] curve,” according to a New York Post report.
“Despite numerous warning signs from around the globe, Commissioner Barbot failed to keep New York City ahead of the curve. Significant research on pandemics and the spread of viruses should have been conducted early, and our city should have led the nation by taking drastic measures before any other city,” Councilmen Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Bob Holden (D-Middle Village) fumed in a letter to Hizzoner.
The lawmakers pointed to a troubling timeline of Barbot tweets and comments in February and March as evidence of a public health official “who got it terribly wrong.”
For example, on Feb. 2, Barbot on Twitter promoted Lunar New Year events across the five boroughs.
“As we gear up to celebrate the #LunarNewYear in NYC, I want to assure New Yorkers that there is no reason for anyone to change their holiday plans, avoid the subway, or certain parts of the city because of #coronavirus,” NYC’s doctor wrote.
And on March 4, as coronavirus cases began popping up in the metro area, Barbot said, “There’s no indication that being in a car, being in the subways with someone who’s potentially sick is a risk factor,” according to the councilmen’s missive.
City Hall spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein characterized the letter as “despicable and reeks of opportunism.”
