By this stage of the coronavirus pandemic, the concept of “flattening the curve” is familiar, especially to anyone who’s watched Andrew Cuomo’s press briefings. At the once-daily events—since June 19, they’re being conducted on what he described as an as-needed basis—he frequently emphasized the importance of slowing the spread of the virus by putting depictions of the strategy in the PowerPoint displays that accompanied his appearances. He did that on Monday too, but added a new representation to the mix:
Democrat & Chronicle reported that the paint and materials for the foam sculpture cost $185, and that it was made in-house by his staff. Once he debuted his commission, Cuomo explained its purpose.
“Doing this once in life is enough,” he said. “We don’t need to climb another mountain.”
If it’s unclear why the addition of the sculpture was needed to make the point that no one wants New York to repeat its past few months, it’s worth remembering that Cuomo has a history of making this kind of show. There was the mural of face masks in April, which he described as a “self-portrait of America,” and he and his brother centered one of their many recent gag routines around an oversize cotton swab in May. The daily press briefings may have ended, but the finish line for Cuomo’s version of prop comedy is further in the distance.
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