President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that he considering quarantining parts of the Northeast as a way of mitigating the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. As it currently stands, New York City is America's hotbed for the spread of the disease. As of Saturday at 10 a.m. EST, the Big Apple has 29,158 cases with 517 deaths.
"Should anyone who lives in a state that has a governor that you’re not getting along with well be concerned at all?" a reporter asked the president.
"So, I think, really, most of the governors are very appreciative. As I said, I just spoke with [New York State Governor] Andrew Cuomo. I just spoke with [Florida Governor] Ron DeSantis. We’re thinking about certain things. Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot – New York, New Jersey," Trump explained outside of Air Force Once. "Maybe one or two other places; certain parts of Connecticut quarantined. I’m thinking about that right now. We might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine – short-term, two weeks – on New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut."
"Restricting travel from those places?" the reporter pressed.
"Restrict travel. Because they’re having problems down in Florida. A lot of New Yorkers are going down. We don’t want that. Heavily infected," the president explained. "We’re having a really good dialogue with Governor Cuomo. We’ve supplied him with a lot of things. We’re giving him an extra four medical centers, tents. That’s beyond what we’ve already given. As you know, we’re giving them to New Jersey. We’re doing a great job with the Governor of New Jersey. He’s been very good."
Although Trump said it's not something he wants to do, he's contemplating it and it would be enforceable if the move is made.
The president took to Twitter to reiterate his position:
I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE of developing “hot spots”, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A decision will be made, one way or another, shortly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
This story has been updated with additional information.