President Trump announced he would not be imposing a quarantine on parts of the Northeast but would instead be issuing a travel advisory for the area.
Trump said earlier on Saturday that he was considering the idea of imposing a quarantine for the states of New York and New Jersey as well as some parts of Connecticut to help stop the spread of Wuhan coronavirus. New York is currently leading the nation as the epicenter of coronavirus cases.
"I’m thinking about that right now," Trump told reporters on Saturday. "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."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was reportedly caught off guard by the possibility of a federally imposed quarantine, going so far as to call the idea "a civil war kind of discussion."
Ultimately, Trump decided a quarantine of the Northeast would not be necessary based on the recommendation of the president's coronavirus taskforce. Full details of the travel advisory will be released by the CDC later on Saturday, according to the president.
On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020
....Federal Government. A quarantine will not be necessary. Full details will be released by CDC tonight. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020