The US president has not discussed his quarantine move with New York Governor Cuomo.
–
(Photo: AFP)
–
– –
–
Washington Despite the worsening coronavirus crisis, according to US President Donald Trump, considerations about quarantining the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are off the table for the time being. “A quarantine will not be necessary,” wrote Trump on Saturday (local time) on Twitter. On the recommendation of his coronavirus working group and after consulting the governors of the three affected states, he asked the health authority CDC to publish “strong travel advice”.
It now encourages residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to refrain from unnecessary domestic travel for the next 14 days. This does not apply to employees in, for example, healthcare, financial services or the food industry. The authority did not issue general travel warnings or restrictions for domestic travel. However, travelers have been urged to take precautions to prevent becoming infected or contributing to the further spread of the virus.
The US east coast state of New York with the metropolis of the same name has developed into the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the USA. On Saturday, the number of detected infections in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut combined rose to more than 62,000 – that’s more than half of all cases in the United States.
In New York in particular, however, significantly more tests were carried out than in other parts of the country. According to the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, more than 1900 people have died in the USA so far – more than 700 of them came from New York State.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
–
–
–
Trump said many New Yorkers are currently traveling to Florida. “We don’t want that,” he criticized. Regarding possible restrictions on freedom of movement, Trump said, “I would rather not do it, but maybe we need it.” In the event that such measures had to be taken, they would apply for a short time. Trump spoke of a period of two weeks.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said Trump’s actions would wreak havoc. Such a measure will result in economic upheaval, said Cuomo on Saturday the TV broadcaster CNN. The stock exchanges would “sink like a stone” and the economy would not be able to recover for months or years. In addition, it is not clear to him how Trump wants to legally implement such far-reaching travel restrictions, Cuomo continued. “I think it’s illegal.”
Case numbers in the US will continue to rise
Trump had downplayed the scope of the virus until a month ago. He is accused of having reacted too hesitantly to the crisis and that the pandemic caught the country cold as a result. According to the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the number of demonstrably infected people was more than 116,500 on Saturday, and almost 1900 people died.
Experts expect the situation in the US to worsen before any calm can be expected. New York Governor Cuomo expects the peak of the wave of infections for his state in two to three weeks.
In mid-March, Trump imposed an entry ban on travelers from Europe in order to slow the spread of the virus. He had not excluded the possibility of travel restrictions within the country in the case of developing hotspots. So far, however, the government has refrained from taking measures of this kind.
Trump adopted the hospital ship “Comfort” in Norfolk on Saturday, which is supposed to relieve New York hospitals and arrive there on Monday. “You have the unwavering support of the entire nation, the entire government and the entire American people,” Trump said before the ship’s departure in a speech addressed to the New Yorkers. The ship with its 1000 beds should send a “message of hope and solidarity,” said Trump. Regarding the virus, he lamented that countries around the world were currently “under attack by this terrible, invisible enemy”.
In New York, local authorities had repeatedly warned that the capacities of the hospitals there were not even remotely prepared for the contagion of large parts 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 could selectively reach their capacity limits for the first time in the coming days.
With a population of over eight million, New York City is the largest US city and one of the world’s cultural and economic centers. Restaurants, bars, schools, museums, and Broadway shows are closed. All citizens are called upon to stay at home, “non-vital” institutions and companies are closed. More than 30 million people live in the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
More: Trump promises production of many ventilators – coercion against GM
–
– .
