Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo is a Guest on MSNBC With Alex Witt

Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo appeard as a guest on MSNBC with Alex Witt to dicsuss New York's latest measures to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

AUDIO of the interview is available here.

A rush transcript of the interview is available below:

Alex Witt: We have New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who hasjust wrapped up a conference where he is calling for more non-mandatory restrictions on the people of New York State. Governor Cuomo is joining us now from Albany. Governor, welcome to the broadcast sir. Let's talk first about what you wrote, the op-ed in the New York Times today. What was your message?

Governor Cuomo: Good to be with you again, Alex. You know, as a governor, it's nice to hear all the conversation in Washington. It's good that they passed the bill. I'm more concerned frankly with what is actually happening on the ground and what is actually going to happen on the ground operationally. And everyone says, we have to flatten the curve, flatten the curve, reduce the spread of the virus. What they're really saying is we have to reduce the spread of a virus to a rate that won't overwhelm our hospital care system. That's what happened in Italy. We had too many people coming into the hospital care system, they tend to need the ICU beds, we don't have many intensive care unit beds, ventilators, and if you don't slow that curve, it will overwhelm the hospitals. By any projection, especially here in the State of New York where we have a high number of cases, you're not going to slow that curve to a level that won't overwhelm the hospital system. That curve is not a curve. I see that curve as a wave and the wave is going to break. And the wave is going to break and crush our hospital system. That is what all the numbers say now, Alex. And I'm calling on the president to look at those facts, react before, plan forward, and let's use the Army Corps of Engineers to come in and retrofit existing buildings to provide medical care facilities when the hospitals get overwhelmed. It is going to happen. We have a brief window. We need more medical facilities. A state can't do it. State government doesn't really build. Idon't have the personnel. I don't have the resources. Only the federal government builds. Only the Army Corps of Engineers builds. I'll give you student dorms. I will give you colleges. But send in the Army Corps of Engineers to make those medical facilities ready so when the hospitals get overwhelmed, at least there's a backup.

Alex Witt: Governor, a short time ago in the news conference, we took some of that live, sir, and you referred to this virus as a new war. Talk about your very main concern right now. You've talked about the hospitals and over capacity, not being able to address everyone who might need their help. Is that your main concern at this point or are there others?

Governor Cuomo: The main - what is going to happen here, by any of the projections, and we don't have to guess, there's no crystal ball. We saw china, we saw South Korea, we saw Italy. If you don't reduce that curve, it is going overwhelm the hospital care system. Itis going to overwhelm the hospital care system. I am telling you that right now today with any of the projections. We only have 3,000 intensive care unit beds in this state - 3,000. 80% are now occupied. The people who wind up needing hospital assistance, there are senior citizens, underlying illness, they need the ventilators. Theventilators are in the intensive care units. We don't have enough. And if we don't create more space quickly, and only the Army Corp of Engineers can do that, we're going to see people dying who didn't need to die. I don't mean to be alarmist but I am a realist. That is what is going to happen and we have been a step behind this disease from day one. We were a step behind on testing, on acknowledgement, we saw what was happening in China and we all stood still. Let's get ahead of it and you get ahead of it by knowing what's going to happen by the numbers and do your best to at least create as many beds as you can and you will save as many lives as you can.

Alex Witt: Governor, what are your thoughts on the prospect of shutting down New York City? There's a proposal that was discussed on the broadcast earlier. Do you support the possibility of that and what might that look like?

Governor Cuomo: There is no such thing as shutting down New York City if you talk about meaning, like, it's a quarantine area, youcan't get out of New York City. That is not going to happen. There are rumors that circulate around that. No city in the State of New York can close down if the State government doesn't want it to close down and I'm not closing down any city in this state. Now, if you mean closing down businesses, ramping down activity, that we're doing. I passed mandatory regulations that say a business that has over 500 people is out of business for the time being. You can't have more than 50 percent of the occupancy in the building at any time so that reduces the density. We can do more of that. I called on businesses today on a voluntary basis. We'll see how they respond. I said, if you don't need to be open, don't be open. If you can work from home, work from home, and I am aggressively recommending that voluntary action. Actions like that, if they don't do it on a voluntary basis, we could do it on a mandatory basis. Closing down schools, which is a good idea with a big "if" - if you make sure the essential personnel you need have backup child care. Why? Because the wave is going to break on the hospitals. We need to make sure those health care workers show up for work. If you create a situation where the health care worker can't show up because their child is home and they have no other child care, well then you just cut your nose to spite your face. It wasn't a positive. It was a negative so what we're trying to work out is child care for essential workers if you close down the school, and if you can do that then I'm in favor of closing down schools. But I'm not quarantining any area.

Alex Witt: Governor Andrew Cuomo, sending a big message to all of us here in the State of New York as well as to the federal government. Thank you so much for your time. You're such a busy man. We appreciate it here on MSNBC.

Governor Cuomo: Thank you.