Trump Backs Off NY Quarantine Plan After Cuomo Calls It 'War'

NEW YORK, NY — President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he's considering travel restrictions for residents of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut amid the coronavirus outbreak — but backed off earlier suggestions that he would quarantine the state.

Trump spoke to reporters early on Saturday and said he's "thinking about" restrictions, saying: "Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it's a hotspot – New York, New Jersey. Maybe one or two other places; certain parts of Connecticut quarantined. I'm thinking about that right now."

New York's governor Andrew Cuomo responded on CNN that quarantining New York would be the same as a declaration of war by the federal government against New York.

"This would be a declaration of war on states," the governor said. "A federal declaration of war."

Soon after, Trump backed off the suggestion.

"A quarantine will not be necessary,” Trump said in a tweet Saturday night.

“On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the CDC to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the Federal Government."

When suggesting quarantine, Trump has said: "Because they're having problems down in Florida. A lot of New Yorkers are going down. We don't want that. Heavily infected."

Trump added that this "would be an enforceable quarantine. And, you know, I'd rather not do it, but we may need it."

The president told reporters that he'd already talked about the idea with Cuomo, a claim the governor denied when asked about it at his own press conference Saturday. Cuomo and the president had talked on the phone earlier Saturday morning, but Cuomo said the quarantine idea was not brought up.

“I spoke to the president about the ship coming up and the four sites — I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine," Cuomo said, referring to a military ship and new emergency facilities that will bring hospital beds to the state.

When pressed by a reporter who said Trump claimed the quarantine was part of the conversation, Cuomo said, "I haven’t had those conversations, I don’t even know what that means."

Trump's statements followed actions already taken by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who issued an order Monday requiring all incoming air passengers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self-quarantine for 14 days.

"That's the only way we can be sure that that virus is not going to be reintroduced in the state of Florida and then spread," the governor said during a late afternoon press conference.

Cuomo also questioned whether Trump would be able to "legally enforce" a quarantine in the tri-state area, though again he emphasized that he doesn't know exactly what Trump has planned.

"I can tell you I don’t like the sound of it," he said. "Not even understanding what it is, I don’t like the sound of it."