President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump orders US troops back to active duty for coronavirus response Trump asserts power to decide info inspector general for stimulus gives Congress Fighting a virus with the wrong tools MORE on Saturday said that he is considering putting in place an “enforceable quarantine” on travel for New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut.
“Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hot spot — New York, New Jersey, maybe one or two other places, certain parts of Connecticut quarantined. I’m thinking about that right now,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for Joint Base Andrews.
“We might not have to do it but, there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine — short term — two weeks for New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut,” he added.
The president was asked about the possibility again when he landed at Andrews before he boarded Air Force One, repeating that it would be for New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut.
New York is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with more than 52,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to numbers released Saturday. New Jersey has more than 8,000 cases, and Connecticut has more than 1,200.
Trump suggested the quarantine would be travel based, meaning people inside the quarantine area couldn’t travel to other places in the country. He also said he would talk to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) about the possible quarantine.
Cuomo said he had talked to the president Saturday morning but that they hadn’t discussed a quarantine. Last Friday, Cuomo ordered New York residents to stay at home as much as possible, putting a pause on nonessential businesses.
