It needs to be said again and again because mainstream media isn’t going to say it, so we must.

The folks in charge in New York and specifically New York City did a horrible job with the response to the Wuhan coronavirus.

One reason was while President Donald Trump was addressing the virus by January, New York City including its Mayor Bill de Blasio and its health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, were still encouraging people to go out and attend events like the Chinese New Year parade which draws thousands of people.

Here’s Barbot in February:

NYC “Health Commissioner” Oxiris Barbot on Feb. 7th: “We’re telling New Yorkers, go about your lives, take the subway, go out, enjoy life” pic.twitter.com/qYIfCeM5Ph

— greg bales (@GregBales01) May 14, 2020

How did this advice from @NYCHealthCommr work out?https://t.co/p5jjCsDpQD

— Chip Graumlich (@chip_graumlich) May 14, 2020

This perhaps explains why they were so long to address it. De Blasio thought this too, that it wasn’t easy to get by causal contact. “If it was, we’d be seeing a lot more cases.” Oof. Go out, take the subway, enjoy life. This was incredibly ignorant and stupid, but the city’s attitude well into March.

For context, her comments in February were after President Donald Trump declared a public health emergency at the end of January.

But now Barbot has stirred up more controversy and people are calling for her to be fired.

According to a report in the New York Post, when Barbot received an urgent request in March from the NYPD’s Chief of Department Terence Monahan for 500,000, Barbot responded “I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops,” according to sources.“I need them for others.”

Yikes.

The conversation took place as increasing numbers of cops were calling out sick with symptoms of COVID-19 but before the department suffered its first casualties from the deadly respiratory disease, sources said.

Although surgical masks don’t necessarily prevent wearers from being infected with the coronavirus, they can prevent people from spreading it to others.

The NYPD has recorded 5,490 cases of coronavirus among its 55,000 cops and civilian workers, with 41 deaths, according to figures released Wednesday evening.

Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, called for Barbot to be fired over her “Despicable and unforgivable” comments.

“Dr. Barbot should be forced to look in the eye of every police family who lost a hero to this virus. Look them in the eye and tell them they aren’t worth a rat’s ass,” Lynch fumed.

Turns out also, Barbot’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had a big stash of the masks, stored in a New Jersey warehouse, sources said. City Hall has now made sure they got 250,000 surgical masks, sources said.

Her office didn’t deny that she had said it.

“During the height of COVID, while our hospitals were battling to keep patients alive, there was a heated exchange between the two where things were said out of frustration but no harm was wished on anyone,” Department of Health press secretary Patrick Gallahue said, noting that Barbot “apologized for her contribution to the exchange.”

City Councilman Joe Borelli and Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) also called for her to be removed.

Why is she still there? And why did this take more two months to come out?

NYC health head rejected NYPD mask plea: ‘I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops’ https://t.co/iE0A59Y2ir via @nypmetro Again the NYPD fails to comment. Why did it take 2 months for it to be made public. Why did Monaghan sit silent? He should of exposed her to the media.

— SBA (@SBANYPD) May 14, 2020

NYC’s Health Commissioner also told people, in February, to go out and there was nothing to worry about re COVID: “This is not something that you're going to contract in the subway or on the bus.” You know why people distrust experts? Experts like her. https://t.co/7VhrXAYY0f

— Karol Markowicz (@karol) May 14, 2020

NYC health commissioner wouldn't supply NYPD with masks. Time for her to go. In over her head since the beginning. https://t.co/XiYMfydj9I

— Boomer Esiason (@7BOOMERESIASON) May 14, 2020

Dr. Oxiris Barbot should be immediately fired as NYC Health Commissioner. I know too many NYPD officers who tested positive for coronavirus & this is the type of attitude that costs lives. She’s entirely disqualified from serving in this post one more day.https://t.co/Rqzq49XexJ

— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) May 14, 2020