Mandatory Testing Order in New York Reveals Serious Gaps in Access for Nursing Homes

As deaths in the state’s nursing homes mounted, and calls for action grew louder, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week issued an aggressive executive order requiring facilities to test all staffers for COVID-19 twice per week — under the threat of license revocation and penalties that start at $2,000 and jump to $10,000 per day.

There’s just one problem: As in the rest of the country, tests are hard to come by, and both operators and laboratories aren’t sure that they can possibly meet the order.

In order to comply with Cuomo’s new rule, which covers both nursing homes