The families, led by Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens), presented the governor with a list of demands, including elder-care reforms and that the state own up for its controversial directive believed to have increased the death toll among nursing home residents.

“At the very top of the meeting, after we introduced ourselves, she (Hochul) leaned in pretty hard and opened up with an apology to the families about what they had to go through as a result of these policies,” Kim said.

“It was obviously a private apology, but I think it really touched the families. That’s something they’ve been asking for — to be treated decently as human beings.”

He added: “It was a genuine, empathetic moment that stood out to us.”