Upstate Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin called Cuomo’s trip “absurd and obscene.”

“Cuomo is acting like a conquering hero. New York leads the nation cases and deaths. He refused to act early and failed to contain the coronavirus. His policies contributed to more deaths in nursing homes,” McLaughlin, a Republican, said of the governor, a Democrat.

“This trip is unbelievable. He’s definitely trying to rehab his image.”

The trip could also be viewed as a slap at Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has battled with Democratic mayors in the Peach State over how to handle the outbreak. Kemp sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over the city’s mandate for residents to wear masks, which he opposed as onerous.