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Covid-19: NYC Can't Shelter In Place Without State Approval, Cuomo Says

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he is considering a shelter in place order for New York City, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo countered by saying he is not in favor of such a quarantine at this time, and, if it were to happen, it would require state approval - meaning his authorization.

New York City residents may be forced to "shelter in place"

New York City residents may be forced to "shelter in place"

Photo Credit: Salvatore Trifilio

Under such an order, those in NYC would be confined to their homes except for essential goods, services, and activities.

“No, we’re not going to quarantine New York City,” Cuomo said at his daily press briefing in Albany on Tuesday, March 17. “It’s all about containment now. We took some drastic measures yesterday, and it's inconvenient and its a disturbance, but we need to stop the spread.

Cuomo said that "no city in the state can quarantine itself without state approval, and I have no interest or plan to quarantine the city."

"We had a containment zone in New Rochelle, which was misunderstood. Nobody was contained or quarantined there," he said. "You could come and go as you please, the containment referred to the virus." 

De Blasio threw out the day in a television interview early Tuesday morning, before Cuomo nixed the idea and said there are uniform rules in place for all cities and municipalities.

The move would be similar to the steps taken by several municipalities in the Bay Area as the country continues to slow down the spread of novel coronavirus.

“We’re absolutely considering it,” de Blasio said .”It could get to that for sure for this whole country.”

The six counties affected by the order in California — Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara — have confirmed 258 coronavirus cases, as well as three deaths.

New York currently has 1,374 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, including 644 in New York City and 380 in Westchester alone.

In New York, schools have been shut down, and all bars and restaurants are limited to takeout options only. Gyms, Broadway, movie theaters, and other large gathering places have also closed. Gatherings of more than 50 people have also been prohibited.

De Blasio warned that the city’s bars and restaurants could be closed for months.

Cuomo said that it’s possible there could be additional mandated closures of some businesses citing the situation in Italy, but added, “not today.”

“We have to continue to flatten the curve, continue to reduce density and that might mean more closings. The numbers are showing the expected flow into hospitals and it’s clear we can’t manage that flow. How do you reduce that flow? Close down more interaction among people.” 

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