Cuomo: Earlier mask mandate could have made a difference

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The governor says New York could have seen a “dramatic difference” as it fought the coronavirus this spring if he had required New Yorkers to wear masks earlier.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo used a Wednesday appearance on public radio to offer the failure of New York to institute a statewide mask mandate earlier as an example of a lesson for other states.

It’s a rare admission for a governor who’s said he doesn’t want to play “the blame game,” but often criticizes the federal government when asked whether his administration made any mistakes in its response to a little-known virus that has roiled the state.