NEW YORK — President Donald Trump says he’s considering a two-week quarantine across New York City, with the order possibly coming within hours.
The commander in chief, speaking to reporters Saturday, said he was pondering the dramatic move on the nation’s largest city, along with “probably New Jersey” and parts of Connecticut, as the COVID-19 epidemic numbers continue to grow in the metropolitan area.
“We might not have to do it but there’s a possibility that sometime (Saturday) we’ll do a quarantine — short term two weeks for New York, probably New Jersey and parts of Connecticut,” said Trump before boarding Air Force One for Norfolk, Va.
“We’re looking at it and will be making a decision,” the president continued. “A lot of the states that are infected — they’ve asked me if I’d look at it so we’re going to look at it. Maybe for a short period of time.”
Asked about a time frame, Trump said it could happen “possibly some time today.” He added that there were no plans to shut down the city’s sprawling subway system.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo was not among those who asked for a White House look at the situation, and he appeared surprised when asked about Trump’s remarks.
“I don’t even know what that means,” said Cuomo. “I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable. I don’t even like the sound of it.”
The number of confirmed cases in New York state hit 52,000, with 7,000 identified in the last day. The number of dead statewide stands at 728.
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