NEW York Mayor Bill de Blasio is “almost ready” to call for shelter in place order amid the coronavirus pandemic, after praising San Francisco’s model.
De Blasio said the public health order had to be “seriously considered” in NYC to curb the COVID-19 spread.
But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to agree that 8 million people would adhere to it and has repeatedly dismissed the idea.
Speaking to the TODAY show on Wednesday, the mayor said he would be consulting with Cuomo on the matter.
“I am almost at that point, I have to say, it has to be considered seriously,” de Blasio said.
Shaken New Yorkers have rushed to grocery stores to stock up as they wait for an update, leaving shelves bare in many shops around the city.
The emergency measure – which was enacted in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay area on Monday – mandates limited travel, mandated social distancing, and substantial limits on gatherings.
On Tuesday, De Blasio first told residents they may be told in the next 48 hours to stay inside to flatten the curve – an unprecedented measure in “the history of NYC.”
“New Yorkers should be prepared right now for the possibility of a shelter in place order,” he said.
“That has not happened yet but it is a possibility. That decision will be made in the next 48 hours.”
A Shelter In Place usually occurs when there is an active shooter, a weather, chemical, or radiological hazard.
In this case, de Blasio assured New Yorkers it would not be a draconian lockdown and they would be allowed to leave the safety of their house to get essentials like groceries and medicine.
“I don’t see any context for closing borders, closing bridges,” de Blasio told NY1.
But he admitted it would have to be a city and state measure.
However, Cuomo has said the usually bustling city will not be going on lockdown, saying “the fear, the panic is a bigger problem than the virus.”
As of Thursday, March 19, the killer coronavirus has claimed the lives of 140 Americans and infected thousands.
In New York, there have been 21 deaths and cases have soared to 2,382.
This drastic measure could be implemented because De Blasio said it won’t be long before cases surge even more.
But Cuomo was insistent that the measure wouldn’t work everywhere and NYC couldn’t be an exception.
He told reporters: “I don’t believe any policy works unless the geographic footprint is large enough. It can’t just be New York City.
“Also shelter in place, you close down your health care system, you close down your food system, you close down your transportation system . And you close down businesses. That doesn’t make sense to me because people need to eat travel etc.”
Despite Cuomo’s apparent dismissal of the order, de Blasio was still touting it yesterday.
He is still watching the “San Francisco model” as both politicians continue to discuss the possibility.
Earlier this week, Cuomo revealed the pandemic won’t peak in New York state for 45 days after hundreds of new cases emerged.
He said ICU and hospital beds could be rapidly filled to capacity here as thousands of cases mount and local government appeals for former medics to go back to work.
The news comes as the US Navy prepares to send two “floating” hospitals to New York City and San Francisco or Seattle to help with the coronavirus crisis.
Cuomo acknowledged sending the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy was “extraordinary step” because the Comfort is “literally a floating hospital” – a vital resource when the virus peaks.
