Cuomo threatens to sue Rhode Island if it doesn't ease up on New Yorkers during coronavirus pandemic

(Image credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

published 29 March 2020

The New York area has been the hardest-hit region in the United States during the novel coronavirus pandemic, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) doesn't want his state singled out.

After President Trump said he was considering quarantining New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut on Saturday, Cuomo pushed back, calling the idea "preposterous" and a "federal declaration of war," while noting he didn't think it was even legal. Eventually, Trump said it wasn't necessary, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory, urging tri-state residents to refrain from non-essential travel for the next 14 days.

But Cuomo isn't completely satisfied — he said he still may sue Rhode Island if the state doesn't halt its new policy of stopping vehicles with New York license plates and collecting information about people who have traveled between the two states. Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) issued an order Friday empowering law enforcement to conduct those searches, and the National Guard will be stationed at airports and train stations for similar purposes. The National Guard will also knock on doors in coastal communities to identify anyone who has been in New York in recently to make sure they self-quarantine for 14 days.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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