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Trump and Cuomo clash as president weighs New York quarantine Cuomo: Trump New York quarantine would be 'federal declaration of war'
(about 5 hours later)
Trump says ‘there’s a possibility we’ll do a quarantine, short-term’ in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut but Cuomo says he was unaware of any plan Trump says ‘there’s a possibility we’ll do a quarantine, short-term’ in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut but Cuomo says plan would likely be illegal
Andrew Cuomo and Donald Trump once again clashed in their handling of the coronavirus outbreak on Saturday, with New York’s governor saying he was unaware the president was weighing a regional quarantine. Andrew Cuomo, the New York governor, warned on Saturday of “chaos and mayhem” if Donald Trump pressed ahead with a proposal for an enforced regional quarantine, saying such a move would be “a federal declaration of war”.
The clash emerged at Cuomo’s daily press briefing in Albany, when he was asked about comments made by Trump as he left the White House for a visit to Norfolk, Virginia. “It’s a preposterous idea, frankly,” Cuomo told CNN on Saturday evening, hours after the president floated the idea of locking down parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to try to slow the coronavirus spread.
Trump said: “We’re thinking about certain things. Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot … We might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine, short-term, two weeks on New York. Probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, by Saturday night more than 116,000 Covid-19 cases had been recorded across the US with nearly 2,000 deaths. New York is by far the state heaviest hit.
“I’d rather not do it, but maybe we need it.” “Why you would want to just create total pandemonium on top of a pandemic I have no idea,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo said he spoke to Trump earlier about a US navy hospital ship being deployed to New York City and four temporary hospital sites. But he added: “I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine.” “It’s totally opposite with what the president would want to do, work with the states, get the economy running and get some sense of stability. You wouldn’t at this point literally fracture the entire nation because it’s not just New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, it’s Louisiana and New Orleans. The numbers will continue to rise and every few days it’s going to be another hotspot.”
Cuomo also said of the potential “enforceable quarantine … I don’t even know what that means. I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable. And from a medical point of view I don’t know what you would be accomplishing. He added: “It would be chaos and mayhem. If we start walling off areas all across the country it would just be totally bizarre, counterproductive, anti-American, anti-social.”
“But I can tell you I don’t even like the sound of it. Not even understanding what it is, I don’t even like the sound of it.” Trump suggested imposing a quarantine earlier in the day, as he left the White House for a visit to Norfolk, Virginia.
Shortly after that, Trump tweeted: “I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE of developing ‘hot spots’, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A decision will be made, one way or another, shortly.” “We’re thinking about certain things. Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot,” he said.
In Norfolk to say farewell to the USNS Comfort, he said “this great ship” was “a 70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York, a place I know very well, a place I love. “We might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine, short-term, two weeks on New York. Probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut. This would be an enforceable quarantine. I’d rather not do it, but maybe we need it.”
“We are with you all the way, and always will be.” Cuomo said Trump had not mentioned it when they spoke in the morning about a US navy hospital ship being deployed to New York City and four temporary hospital sites.
But the president added: “We will stop at nothing to protect the health of New Yorkers, and the health of people in our country. “If the president was considering this, he would have called me,” Cuomo said, adding: “This would be a federal declaration of war on states.”
“I am now considering, and will make a decision very quickly, very shortly, a quarantine because it’s such a hot area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, we’ll be announcing that one way or another fairly soon. He went on: “This is a civil war kind of discussion. I don’t believe that he could be serious, that any federal administration could be serious about physical lockdowns of states or parts of states. I don’t believe it’s legal, I believe it would be economic chaos, I don’t believe the American people would stand for it.
“This does not apply to people such as truckers from outside the New York area. It won’t affect trade in any way.” “This is a time when the president says he’s trying to restart the economy. New York is the financial sector. You geographically restrict a state, you would paralyze the financial sector.”
Cuomo also addressed the need for ventilators in New York, which with more than 52,000 positive coronavirus tests has more known infections than any other state. The need for ventilators has been another point of conflict with Trump, who this week told Fox News: “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators.” In an earlier press conference from Albany, the governor seemed blindsided by the president’s comments and a tweet in which Trump said: “I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE of developing ‘hot spots’, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A decision will be made, one way or another, shortly.”
Cuomo held a “bag valve mask”, effectively a manual ventilator. In Norfolk to say farewell to the USNS Comfort, Trump said “this great ship” was “a 70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York, a place I know very well, a place I love.”
But the president added: “We will stop at nothing to protect the health of New Yorkers, and the health of people in our country.”
He also said any quarantine would “not apply to people such as truckers from outside the New York area. It won’t affect trade in any way.”
Cuomo also continued to weigh the need for ventilators in New York, which with more than 52,000 positive coronavirus tests has more known infections than any other state. Trump this week told Fox News: “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators.”
At his Albany press conference, Cuomo held a “bag valve mask”, effectively a manual ventilator.
“This is the alternative if you don’t have the ventilators,” he said. “We are actually buying these. We bought about 3,000. We’ve ordered an additional 4,000 of these bag valve masks.“This is the alternative if you don’t have the ventilators,” he said. “We are actually buying these. We bought about 3,000. We’ve ordered an additional 4,000 of these bag valve masks.
“We’re even talking about training national guard people to learn how to operate this device, which is relatively simple to operate but you need a lot of people to operate this 24-hours-a day for each patient.“We’re even talking about training national guard people to learn how to operate this device, which is relatively simple to operate but you need a lot of people to operate this 24-hours-a day for each patient.
“If we have to turn to this device on any large-scale basis that is not an acceptable situation. We’re planning for that worst-case scenario.”“If we have to turn to this device on any large-scale basis that is not an acceptable situation. We’re planning for that worst-case scenario.”
The governor said Trump had approved temporary hospitals in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn. The governor said Trump had approved temporary hospitals in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn. He also called for unified purchasing of medical supplies – either federally or a consortium among states.
He also called for unified purchasing of medical supplies – either federally or a consortium among states – to prevent price increases and permit states with the most need access to equipment and protective gear. The USNS Comfort is expected in New York harbour on Monday as local medical centers face collapse. On Saturday there were reportedly nearly 27,000 known Covid-19 cases and 450 deaths in New York City. Cuomo said the state death toll had risen close to 800.
Earlier, Trump continued to attack favorite targets including the governor of Michigan and the mainstream news media.
At the White House briefing on Friday, a reporter asked the 73-year-old president: “Given that older Americans are advised to stay at home and avoid travel, is it absolutely necessary for you to go to Norfolk, Virginia tomorrow to wave goodbye to the ship?”
“No,” Trump replied, “but I have spirit for the country. I mean, we have sailors, we have doctors on that ship. We have everything. I mean, I’m not going to be a jumping around in a huddle, but yeah, I think it’s a great sign.”
Trump downplayed risk, saying he could avoid close contact.
“And I think it’s a good thing when I go over there and I say thank you,” he said. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to be hugging people and it doesn’t mean that I’m going to be shaking people’s hands and everything, but I think it sends a signal when the president is able to go there and say thank you. So, we’ll be careful.”
The USNS Comfort is expected in New York on Monday as local medical centers face collapse. On Saturday there were reportedly nearly 27,000 known Covid-19 cases and 450 deaths in New York City. Cuomo said the state death toll had risen close to 800.
The ship is the second US navy vessel deployed to a city battling coronavirus: the USNS Mercy docked in Los Angeles on Friday.The ship is the second US navy vessel deployed to a city battling coronavirus: the USNS Mercy docked in Los Angeles on Friday.
On Twitter, Trump continued to rail against Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who reportedly claimed medical equipment suppliers were sending products to the federal government first. On Twitter late on Friday, Trump continued to rail against Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who reportedly claimed medical equipment suppliers were sending products to the federal government first.
“I love Michigan, one of the reasons we are doing such a GREAT job for them during this horrible Pandemic,” Trump wrote. “Yet your Governor, Gretchen ‘Half’ Whitmer is way in over her head, she doesn’t have a clue. Likes blaming everyone for her own ineptitude!”“I love Michigan, one of the reasons we are doing such a GREAT job for them during this horrible Pandemic,” Trump wrote. “Yet your Governor, Gretchen ‘Half’ Whitmer is way in over her head, she doesn’t have a clue. Likes blaming everyone for her own ineptitude!”
On Saturday, Whitmer said in a tweet she had “a good call” with Vice-President Mike Pence.On Saturday, Whitmer said in a tweet she had “a good call” with Vice-President Mike Pence.
“We’ll keep working around the clock with [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and the White House to get more of the personal protective equipment we need to keep Michiganders safe,” she wrote. “Stay home. Stay safe. Save lives.”“We’ll keep working around the clock with [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and the White House to get more of the personal protective equipment we need to keep Michiganders safe,” she wrote. “Stay home. Stay safe. Save lives.”