Tristate area may consider asking visitors to quarantine, Cuomo says
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he is talking with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut about requiring residents of states with high transmission rates to quarantine themselves if they visit. Credit: Getty Images / Jeenah Moon
This story was reported by Rachelle Blidner, Robert Brodsky, Lisa L. Colangelo, Candice Ferrette and Bart Jones. It was written by Jones.
New York may require residents of states with high rates of transmission of the coronavirus such as Florida and Texas to quarantine themselves if they visit here, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday.
Cuomo said he is talking with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut about the possibility of requiring residents of certain states to isolate themselves upon arrival in the tristate area to try to prevent the virus' spread after having made great strides.
“I'm talking to my neighbors … about what we do about it. I wouldn’t target a specific state, but we know the transmission rate of every state in the United States,” Cuomo said on CNN on Monday. “I would consider states with the highest transmission rate, that if somebody comes from that state to New York, there is a period of quarantine … to make sure they are not spreading it.”
At the start of the crisis, when New York was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, some states, including Florida, asked New Yorkers traveling there to self-quarantine for two weeks.
Now, the virus is relatively under control in New York, but is breaking daily records for new cases in Florida, Texas, Arizona and other states. Cuomo last week called it a 180-degree turnaround.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered a biting response Saturday when asked about Cuomo's idea, saying while governors have “prerogative to do what they need to do" he "would just ask if that is done, just please do not quarantine any Floridians in the nursing homes in New York,” referring to criticism that many people died in those facilities.
Florida on Saturday broke its one-day record for new confirmed coronavirus cases, with 4,049, according to the Florida Department of Health. On Sunday, it surpassed 100,000 total cases, with 2,926 new confirmed cases. DeSantis has blamed the growing numbers on more testing, with Florida reaching an infection level of 7.74% on Sunday, while New York has hovered at about 1% despite increased testing.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's spokeswoman, Alyana Alfaro Post, said in a statement Monday, “New Jersey has made significant progress in our fight against COVID-19 … and has relied on data and science — not politics" to guide its recovery.
"Governor Murphy has worked closely with the Governors of neighboring states on a regional effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and will continue to have discussions and determine appropriate action as needed,” the statement said.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday pointed to statistics showing high COVID-19 infection rates in states including Texas, California, Arizona and Florida. He said he discussed the quarantine idea with Cuomo and other area officials.
“We are talking about some sort of a regional quarantine,’ Lamont said. “If these folks want to come to the New York metropolitan area, the Boston metropolitan area, perhaps they should show that they’ve been tested in the very recent past or they should quarantine. We are going to have some guidance on that very, very soon.”
A man looks Saturday through the window of a J. Mendel store on Manhattan's Madison Avenue, ahead of New York City's Phase 2 reopening, which allowed the return of many retail stores Monday. Credit: Getty Images / Cindy Ord
In the metropolitan area, the JFK, LaGuardia, MacArthur and Newark airports listed arrivals and departures to Florida on Monday, and all but the Long Island airport had flights to, or from Texas, according to flight tracking website FlightAware — underscoring the frequency of travel between these states.
Margarita Grasing, a Baldwin resident who travels fairly often to Miami, said she liked Cuomo’s proposal, noting coronavirus cases are rising in Florida.
“They’re not taking it seriously, obviously,” she said of that state's approach to the virus. “The governor couldn’t care less. I don’t see his logic.”
She said she doubts she will travel to Florida anytime soon. “Why would you go and take a plane down there now with their numbers going up?” she said.
Lowest transmission in U.S.
Cuomo said Monday that New York State is reporting its best numbers yet in its battle against the coronavirus.
Northwell Health hospitals reported a 9% drop in COVID-19 patients Monday from the same period a week ago. North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset is part of the hospital network. Credit: Barry Sloan
In the past 24 hours, 10 New Yorkers died from the virus and total hospitalizations fell to 1,122, Cuomo said on MSNBC. The state performed nearly 57,000 tests — the highest of any state — with an infection level of less than 1%.
“That’s the lowest transmission rate in the United States of America,” Cuomo said. “So far, so good.”
Meanwhile, Long Island “is on track” to enter Phase 3 of the reopening of its economy on Wednesday, Cuomo said, while New York City entered Phase 2 on Monday. Phase 2 industries include offices, in-store retail and outdoor dining, while Phase 3 industries are in the food services and personal care sectors.
Nassau registered 34 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, and Suffolk reported 38, according to state data released Monday. Long Island's positive test results measured at 0.9% on Sunday and New York City was at 1.1%.
New York State as a whole reported 552 new cases, with 295 of them in New York City.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said he will freeze pay for all nonunion and management employees and will ask the legislature to defer step raises for two years to adjust for the fiscal impact of the coronavirus. Credit: Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone via Facebook
Fiscal impact amid progress
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced he will sign an executive order Monday to freeze pay for all nonunion and management employees as the county faces a shortfall of up to $1.5 billion from the economic impacts of the coronavirus.
The freeze, which would apply to over 420 employees, is expected to save about $3.38 million over 2020 and 2021, Bellone spokesman Derek Poppe said.
Bellone again called on the federal government to provide aid for the “cataclysmic” shortfalls to avoid the county having to make more significant cuts.
In Suffolk, there was one death related to COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the county’s total to 1,965.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran on Monday said seven patients were on ventilators and 70 in hospitals due to COVID-19 — a new low for the county's 11 hospitals.
A man looks Saturday through the window of a J. Mendel store on Manhattan's Madison Avenue, ahead of New York City's Phase 2 reopening, which allowed the return of many retail stores Monday. Credit: Getty Images / Cindy Ord
There were three new deaths from the virus, but the level of new cases continued to fall with only 0.7% of those tested resulting in positives on Sunday.
The Phase 3 start, Curran said, will mean patrons will be able to use indoor bars and restaurants. “It means we can get our nails done. We can get a massage, a tattoo and a facial if we want,” she said.
She said “it’s so crucial to get this economy cranking again. The economic devastation we have seen have left thousands out of work. And thousands food-insecure."
The state has reported 388,488 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic started, including 41,513 in Nassau, 41,010 in Suffolk, and 212,741 in New York City.
