Daughter of NY nursing home victim calls on Dems to break from Cuomo: 'Do the right thing'

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Daughters of NY nursing home victim demand Gov. Andrew Cuomo be held accountable

Vivian Rivera Zayas and Alexa Rivera urge New York Democrats to 'step up and do the right thing' on 'Fox & Friends'

Sisters Vivian Rivera Zayas and Alexa Rivera are on a crusade for justice over what they describe as the "murder" of their mother, who died from the coronavirus last year in a New York nursing home.

Ana Celia Martinez, 78, died from COVID-19 on April 1st, 2020 in a New York senior care facility. Nearly a year later, her daughters are demanding answers from embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose failure to protect the state's senior population has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks.

In an appearance on "Fox & Friends" Thursday, the sisters ramped up calls for New York Democrats to hold Cuomo accountable for the nearly 15,000 COVID-19 nursing home deaths reported in the state.

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"I voted for Governor Cuomo. My mother did as well," Rivera said. " We expect the other Democrats to step up and do the right thing. Their political party affiliation and, whether they know or are friends with Governor Cuomo should not stop them from doing the right thing. They are public servants. 

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"They work for people like me and my mom and other people who voted for them," she said, "and we would hope that they would eventually do the right thing, and not side with Governor Cuomo."

A lifelong New Yorker, Ana Martinez contracted the virus last March while at Our Lady of Consolation Nursing & Rehabilitative Care Center in West Islip, Long Island. A temporary resident at the facility, she had been admitted to the facility in January to receive rehab for a knee replacement surgery.  

While in the process of being discharged, the 78-year-old was forced to remain in the care center after lockdowns swept the nation in an attempt to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

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Within the first two weeks after lockdowns began, Martinez alerted her family she was unwell, and was experiencing signs of COVID-19 including body aches and a fever. When her daughters brought it to the attention of Our Lady of Consolation, they said the nursing home downplayed their mother’s condition.

The pandemic has undermined the "faith and trust in our nursing home system and the leadership in the state of New York," Zayas said.

As for the growing push to strip Cuomo of his emergency powers ahead of its April expiration, Rivera told host Steve Doocy, "There should be no reason why he still has the capability of making executive decisions that affect other people," arguing that "he already wiped out enough seniors and others that are still in lockdown."

Fox News' Teny Sahakian contributed to this report.