New York state county executives want to start enforcing 14-day quarantine measures around their county lines on any persons coming from coronavirus hot zones, such as New York City.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner he informed New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker on Friday that he would issue a health order enforcing a 14-day quarantine on any visitors.
“Cuomo seized power in one of his executive orders … and vested it in the health department and the state health department. Prior to that, county health departments had wide latitude in state statute,” McLaughlin said. “It still remains in state statute, but he set it up in his mind so that we had to go to him and get permission. So, we did that. We said we don’t want people coming here, but if they are, we want a 14-day quarantine.”
McLaughlin said that Cuomo did not immediately respond, so he released the county health order around the same time Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo issued an executive order to force travelers from New York to quarantine for 14 days after visiting her state. Raimondo later repealed the order on Sunday after a threat of legal action by Cuomo, a fellow Democrat.
“We’re already getting calls from other counties wanting to do the same thing,” McLaughlin said of his fellow county executives.
Rensselaer County, which is 2 1/2 hours north of New York City along the Massachusetts and Vermont state lines, with a population of more than 150,000 residents, currently has 52 COVID-19 positive cases. The majority of coronavirus cases in the state of New York are from the downstate region, with New York City being the epicenter of the largest outbreak.
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“They’re fleeing to upstate. We feel like the least that they can do is to self-quarantine for 14 days because I guess the way I look at it, if they’re looking to escape, which clearly, they are, why would you risk infecting the very place that you escaped to?” said McLaughlin, 56, a former Republican state legislator elected to the top county post in 2017.
“Eighty-four percent of the cases were in Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, New York City, and Rockland counties. And if you add Putnam in, there it’s probably close to 88% or to 89%. It’s insanity to let those folks go freely,” McLaughlin said. “They’re free to move about the state, of course, but I think it is common sense and just human decency to not infect the area that you’re going to, and I don’t think 14 days is a lot to ask.”
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus told the Washington Examiner that upstate and western New York counties are battling Airbnb and vacation rental advertisements trying to profit off the coronavirus panic.
“We do a call every night. All the counties execs around the state and we have 62 counties, including the five [New York City] boroughs are in there, and it’s a big discussion every night, because upstate New York, the further you are, the more upset the county execs are getting,” said Neuhaus, elected in 2013 as county executive in Orange County, which is west of New York City and along the New Jersey state line.
“Airbnb are advertising ‘Get out of the apocalypse,” said Neuhaus, 46. “Leave New York City. Leave downstate. Rent a home.’”
Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell confirmed the jurisdiction she leads was flooded with visitors from New York City transiting to the region on the Metro-North rail lines, while Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro told the Washington Examiner that New York state residents with two homes should choose one and stay there for at least two weeks.
“Regular commuters, even essential commuters, still are getting into the city and were, early on, going to city and back. Second homeowners were choosing that they wanted to stay in place here and not there,” Molinaro said. “What I’d say is it’s ultimately where the president and governor came to agreement on, which is everyone should stay home. Pick your home and stay there for 14 days.”
