New York nurses sue state, 2 hospitals over ‘inadequate’ coronavirus protection

The new york State Nurses Association appealed the state and two hospitals on Monday to force them to provide safety equipment and appropriate measures to stop COVID-19 from spreading among its members, highlighting the growing conflicts over workplace safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

The association appealed the new york Department of Health, Montefiore centre and therefore the parent company of the Westchester heart. The nurses asked judges to order the defendants to give masks and other protection to nurses.

"These lawsuits were registered to protect our nurses, our patients and our communities from grossly unequal and neglectful protection," said an announcement from Pat Kane, the association's executive.

The court filings said the hospitals were ignoring requirements by the state's COVID-19 task force that healthcare workers receive an N95 respirator mask daily, which the health department wasn't enforcing it.

The Department of Health said it'd taken every step required to make sure that healthcare workers have the needed support and supplies.

Westchester medical centre Health Network said its focus has been on protecting its workforce. In contrast, Montefiore said nurses were charging the system while their colleagues were working to save lots of lives.

The association represents 42,000 nurses within the state, which affects the country with about 233,000 COVID-19 cases. The association said that 9,514 of its registered nurses have tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the virus which 11 have died.

The association asked a state judge to block the Department of Health from enforcing a directive requiring healthcare personnel to return to work only seven days after the onset of COVID-19, whether or not they still have symptoms.

The nurses said the directive violated a state law adopted in March that provided quarantined workers 14 days paid sick leave.

The filings described Westchester centre as "like a combat zone."

"We are instructed so far our N95 respirators and to use the same N95 respirator for every week," said Mary-Lynn Boyts, a nurse at Westchester medical centre, in an affidavit.

While tens of numerous Americans are laid off or are working from home, safety is becoming a flashpoint for people who are staffing grocery stores, restaurants and warehouses.

Workers have stayed home from meat processing plants, which are hit by coronavirus outbreaks, and Amazon.com Inc fired three employees who questioned the security of its warehouses.

The head of the Teamsters Union told U.S. President Donald Trump last week that workers needed greater access to protective gear and disinfected workplaces before returning to figure.