Before you become depressed that the federal government is not up to meeting the precondition for restarting the economy, look to the states. On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) provided a glimpse of how we get back to something approaching normal.

First, it involves a cooperative effort between New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. If the federal government cannot organize a one-car parade, then the states will have to self-organize. Second, testing must be expanded. As Cuomo explained, “How do you start the economy back up? How do you start getting back to work as quickly as possible? . . . You’re going to have to know who had the virus, who resolved the virus, who never had it, and that’s going to be testing. And that is an entirely new field that we’re just developing now.” Third, the government must develop an antibody test, as New York’s Department of Health is doing. The good news is that the Food and Drug Administration has approved such a test from the state, though Cuomo cautioned, “that has to be brought to scale.”

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In other words, when you have the antibody test, you will know who had the virus, who no longer has it and who can safely return to the workplace without infecting others or being infected. Those people can be the first wave back into the health-care system, schools and workplaces. The task of getting such an effort up to scale, however, is enormous given that the state of New York alone has more than 19 million people.

In addition to the antibody test, Cuomo said, “rapid testing to determine whether or not you have the virus now exists.” This can at least assure patients that do not have the virus or that they should be quarantined.

But as part of this effort, Cuomo reminded us, the states are going to need an enormous amount of aid from the federal government. States’ budgets have been decimated, so simply returning to previous revenue levels will be a struggle. To undertake a massive initiative to test millions of people will require billions of dollars more in assistance. Congress should keep this in mind as it contemplates a fourth stimulus package.

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It is a pathetic statement that months and months after we had word of the oncoming pandemic, the federal government has no nationwide, readily available testing operation let alone an effective antibody test. The good news is that competent governors in the tri-state area may be able to serve as the model for how we scale up, conduct widespread testing and then allow people back into regular, daily life. In a sense, Trump is not even a back-up here; he’s irrelevant. All Americans should pray that the governors of these three states can figure this out for the rest of us.