Cuomo: New York Quarantine Would Be ‘Federal Declaration Of War’

Topline: Following reports that President Trump is considering an “enforceable quarantine” of the tri-state area, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in an interview with CNN on Saturday night that such a tactic was of questionable legality and would amount to no less than a “federal declaration of war.”

• “It would be chaos and mayhem,” Cuomo told CNN’s Ana Cabrera, when asked about Trump’s proposed quarantine. “It’s totally opposite everything he’s been saying. I don’t think it is plausible. I don’t think it is legal.”
• “As a governor, I’m not going to close off my borders,” Cuomo said.
• President Trump said earlier on Saturday that his administration is considering an “enforceable quarantine” of New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut to combat the coronavirus, suggesting he’d discussed it with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo—who immediately denied he had. 
• “I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine… I haven’t had those conversations, I don’t even know what that means,” Cuomo said when asked about the president’s remarks during his press conference.
• Earlier in the day, before departing from the White House to Virginia, President Trump told reporters “We might not have to do it but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine, short-term, two weeks,” adding it would include restricted travel and be enforceable.
• During a speech later given at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, Trump further elaborated, saying “We’ll be announcing that one way or the other fairly soon. This does not apply to people such as truckers from outside the New York area who are making deliveries or simply transiting through, it won’t affect trade in any way.”

Crucial quote: “This would be a federal declaration of war on states,” Cuomo said, while also adding that he doubts that the President is looking to do that.

Big number: 52,318. That’s the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, amounting to almost half of the national total (113,000) so far. Almost 30,000 cases have been confirmed in New York City alone. The state has become by far and away the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., facing a much greater caseload than in the next hardest-hit states, like New Jersey (8,825), California (4,914) and Washington (3,770). Cuomo forecasted in his Saturday press conference that New York’s apex of the pandemic is still 14 to 21 days away.