President Donald Trump is apparently considering far-reaching cordoning off New York and other states severely affected by the corona crisis. “Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot,” Trump said in the White House garden on Saturday. At a speech in Norfolk, Virginia, he announced that he would decide “fairly soon”. Travel restrictions are also being considered for New York’s neighboring states New Jersey and Connecticut, Trump said. Trade and goods traffic should not be affected.
The east coast state of New York with the metropolis of the same name has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. On Saturday, the number of infections detected in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut rose to more than 62,000, more than half of all cases in the United States. In New York in particular, however, significantly more was tested than in other parts of the country. According to the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, more than 1,800 people have died in America so far – more than 700 of them came from the State of New York.`
Trump said many New Yorkers are currently traveling to Florida. “We don’t want that,” he said. With a view to possible restrictions on freedom of movement, Trump said: “I would rather not do it, but maybe we need it.” If such measures had to be taken, they would apply for a short time. Trump spoke of a two-week period.
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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
New York state governor Andrew Cuomo was reluctant to respond to Trump’s statements. “I haven’t spoken to him about any quarantine,” Cuomo said at his daily press conference. Speaking to the American broadcaster CNN, Cuomo warned of the economic consequences of a travel restriction for people from New York. The stock markets would “sink like a stone,” the governor told the television station. It is also unclear how the measures considered by Trump should be implemented legally. “I think it’s illegal,” said Cuomo.
Hospital ship to relieve New York hospitals
Trump had downplayed the scope of the virus until a month ago. He is accused of reacting too hesitantly to the crisis and that the pandemic subsequently hit the country cold. According to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the number of people who were proven to be infected on Saturday was more than 115,500, meaning that almost 1,900 people died. Experts expect the situation in the United States to deteriorate further before calming down can be expected. New York Governor Cuomo expects the state of India to peak in two to three weeks.
In mid-March, Trump had imposed an entry ban for travelers from Europe to slow the spread of the virus. He had not ruled out the possibility of travel restrictions within the country in the case of developing hotspots. So far, the government has refrained from such measures.
Trump said goodbye to the “Comfort” hospital ship in Norfolk on Saturday, which should relieve hospitals in New York and arrive there on Monday. “You have the unwavering support of the entire nation, the entire government, and the entire American people,” Trump said in a speech to the New Yorkers before the ship’s departure. The 1000-bed ship should send a “message of hope and solidarity,” Trump said. With regard to the virus, he complained that countries around the world we’re currently “being attacked by this terrible, invisible enemy”.
In New York, local authorities had repeatedly warned that the capacities of the hospitals there were not even being prepared to infect large sections of the population. The government expects the state to need 30,000 ventilators. At the moment, there are only about 11,000, according to Friday. According to local media, the clinics may reach their capacity limits for the first time in the coming days.
With over eight million inhabitants, New York City is the largest American city and one of the cultural and economic centers of the world. Restaurants, bars, schools, museums, and Broadway shows are closed. All citizens are called to stay at home, “non-vital” facilities and companies are closed. More than 30 million people live in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
