Trump backs off quarantine of New York area in favor of 'strong' travel advisory
Trump backs off quarantine of New York area in favor of 'strong' travel advisory
by Daniel Chaitin
| March 28, 2020 08:33 PM
President Trump backed down from issuing a quarantine of New York and the surrounding area to stop the spread of the coronavirus in places he has described as "hot spots."
Facing strong resistance from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said a quarantine would be a "federal declaration of war" on the states, the president said instead that he has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a "strong" travel advisory.
"On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s [sic] of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the Federal Government. A quarantine will not be necessary," Trump said Saturday evening in a pair of tweets. "Full details will be released by CDC tonight. Thank you!"
Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters as he was departing for Norfolk, Virginia he was considering "enforceable" two-week, travel-based restrictions.
Mark Cuban Fox News interview interrupted by Skype call from ex-Obama adviser
This was after Trump spoke with Cuomo on the phone, who then said, "I didn't speak to him about any quarantine."
The governor later told CNN such a move, which he described as a "declaration of war on states," may not be legal. "If you start walling off areas all across the country, it would just be totally bizarre, counterproductive, anti-American, antisocial," he said.
“I’ve sued the federal government many times over the past few years … I don’t believe it’s going to come to that on this,” he added.
Cuomo also took issue with Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, who instructed state police on Friday to stop vehicles with New York license plates and to enforce a 14-day quarantine of any persons found to have entered her state from New York, saying he could sue the neighboring state if they don't roll back the "reactionary" policy.
Andrew Cuomo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference against a backdrop of medical supplies at the Jacob Javits Center.
(John Minchillo/AP Photo)
Raimondo said the move was necessary because New York City and the surrounding areas are a “hot zone and the infection rate is skyrocketing.”
The White House Coronavirus Task Force on Tuesday urged anyone who has been in New York recently to quarantine themselves for two weeks from the time they left the state.
At a Saturday afternoon send-off of the USNS Comfort in Norfolk, Virginia, Trump said the United States is “at war with an invisible enemy” and touted the Navy hospital ship's ability to provide medical relief for New York City, which has been grappling with a growing coronavirus outbreak that has sickened thousands.
President Trump salutes as the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort pulls away from the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday.
President Trump salutes as the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort pulls away from the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday.
(Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)
The ship is expected to arrive at Pier 90 in Manhattan on Monday. New York City has been one of the hardest-hit places in the country, with around 30,000 COVID-19 infections and more than 500 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
As of Saturday evening, New York state had 672 deaths associated with the coronavirus, far exceeding another other state in the union. More than 122,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported across the U.S.
by Daniel Chaitin
| March 28, 2020 08:33 PM
President Trump backed down from issuing a quarantine of New York and the surrounding area to stop the spread of the coronavirus in places he has described as "hot spots."
Facing strong resistance from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said a quarantine would be a "federal declaration of war" on the states, the president said instead that he has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a "strong" travel advisory.
"On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s [sic] of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the Federal Government. A quarantine will not be necessary," Trump said Saturday evening in a pair of tweets. "Full details will be released by CDC tonight. Thank you!"
Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters as he was departing for Norfolk, Virginia he was considering "enforceable" two-week, travel-based restrictions.
Mark Cuban Fox News interview interrupted by Skype call from ex-Obama adviser
This was after Trump spoke with Cuomo on the phone, who then said, "I didn't speak to him about any quarantine."
The governor later told CNN such a move, which he described as a "declaration of war on states," may not be legal. "If you start walling off areas all across the country, it would just be totally bizarre, counterproductive, anti-American, antisocial," he said.
“I’ve sued the federal government many times over the past few years … I don’t believe it’s going to come to that on this,” he added.
Cuomo also took issue with Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, who instructed state police on Friday to stop vehicles with New York license plates and to enforce a 14-day quarantine of any persons found to have entered her state from New York, saying he could sue the neighboring state if they don't roll back the "reactionary" policy.
Andrew Cuomo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference against a backdrop of medical supplies at the Jacob Javits Center.
(John Minchillo/AP Photo)
Raimondo said the move was necessary because New York City and the surrounding areas are a “hot zone and the infection rate is skyrocketing.”
The White House Coronavirus Task Force on Tuesday urged anyone who has been in New York recently to quarantine themselves for two weeks from the time they left the state.
At a Saturday afternoon send-off of the USNS Comfort in Norfolk, Virginia, Trump said the United States is “at war with an invisible enemy” and touted the Navy hospital ship's ability to provide medical relief for New York City, which has been grappling with a growing coronavirus outbreak that has sickened thousands.
President Trump salutes as the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort pulls away from the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday.
President Trump salutes as the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort pulls away from the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday.
(Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)
The ship is expected to arrive at Pier 90 in Manhattan on Monday. New York City has been one of the hardest-hit places in the country, with around 30,000 COVID-19 infections and more than 500 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
As of Saturday evening, New York state had 672 deaths associated with the coronavirus, far exceeding another other state in the union. More than 122,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported across the U.S.
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