After canceling a packed schedule of public appearances on Monday due to illness, Mayor Bill de Blasio was tested for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mayor woke up feeling under the weather and is going to take the day to recuperate and work from home. We expect to be back to our regular programming tomorrow. https://t.co/9wmz7ATuBA
— Freddi Goldstein (@FreddiGoldstein) June 15, 2020
De Blasio spokesperson Freddi Goldstein told the Daily News yesterday that his administration did not believe the illness was coronavirus related and probably due to a stomach bug.
Roughly a month ago, de Blasio told reporters that he would get tested for the novel coronavirus but admitted on Tuesday that he had yet to do so, despite joining protests in Brooklyn and in East Harlem over police brutality.
Marching with @etcnyorg during today’s East Harlem Pray and Protest, I felt the urgency and pain of this moment — but also confidence that change will come because of the spirit of this movement and because in this city we affirm that #BlackLivesMatter. pic.twitter.com/XlgqzZ4pxt
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 14, 2020
“I intend to get one because I’ve asked all New Yorkers to get one,” said de Blasio on during his daily press conference on Tuesday. “It’s free, so I’ll follow my own guidance and I’ll make sure to get one.” For weeks the mayor has repeatedly called on New Yorkers to get tested and on Tuesday predicted that the city’s testing capacity would reach 50,000 a day by early July.
City Hall revealed that the mayor made good on his promise in an afternoon tweet featuring a photo of a health care worker, covered head to toe in PPE, preparing to perform a nasal swab test on the mayor which involves inserting a long q-tip into the nose. AmNY asked City Hall where and when the mayor was tested but has not received a response.
There’s no time like the present. Get a FREE COVID-19 test today.
Find a location now: https://t.co/oIEUHV3fiI pic.twitter.com/FXR0uRdbki
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) June 16, 2020
The tweet comes close to a month after a medical professional performed the viral exam on Governor Andrew Cuomo during a televised press conference.
