New York Governor Cuomo announced this week that visitors from COVID-19 hot spots around the US would have to quarantine. Odd, because he opposed such restrictions by other states against New Yorkers.
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New Restrictions for Visitors to New York
This week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, announced that visitors from COVID-19 hot spots around the US would face restrictions. Visitors from hot spots restrict the movement of 131MM Americans from Florida, Texas, and California (among others) who remain permitted to enter the Empire State but must isolate themselves for two weeks upon arrival.
Penalties for violating the strict quarantine rules range from $2,000 to $10,000 and further scrutiny for violators.
Past Objections
Governor Cuomo called restrictions from other states like Rhode Island and Florida on New Yorkers entering their states “unconstitutional.” From the a report about the Rhode Island restrictions, which were similar to Florida, Gov. Cuomo said this in March:
“I spoke to the governor of Rhode Island yesterday, and we had a conversation. I don’t think the order was called for, I don’t believe it was legal,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters during an Albany press briefing.”
Governor Disantos of Florida felt it was important at the time to restrict outsiders but didn’t shut down the state in the same degree as others initially.
Cuomo threatened legal action at which point both Rhode Island and Florida rescinded their harsh enforcement actions in favor of a 14-day self-quarantine. That action was not challenged further by Governor Cuomo.
Is It The Same Thing?
New York is not entirely restricting residents from hot spot states from entering, rather they enforce a mandatory 14-day quarantine which is not the same as denying entry. Florida and Rhode Island had checkpoints set to screen motorists, Rhode Island was a bit further invasive. Those states simply imposed a 14-day quarantine as well.
However, the spirit of both the actions of New York and Florida was to protect each state’s people from a possible threat. While Cuomo found restrictions on New Yorkers to be something he considered suing states for enacting, the Governor finds it different when he’s protecting New Yorkers from a possible second outbreak.
It feels like the same intention only, this time, the shoe is on the other foot. Each came at a time when the target state was experiencing an outbreak but the other state was not and desired to keep it that way. That also feels very similar.
Conclusion
I’ve been conflicted about state’s rights when approaching COVID-19. I remarked in the past that Hawai’i should have the right to restrict whoever they so choose from entering. But upon further contemplation, I reconsidered that opinion as contrary to the Articles of Confederation. In this case, however, Governor Cuomo is doing what is best for his people as it suits them – that’s what he was elected to do. But it seems hypocritical to suggest that such a move is unconstitutional and threatens legal action to only then restrict 40% of the country. It may be the right answer for New York now, but wasn’t it also the right answer for Florida, and Rhode Island then?
What do you think? Are New York restrictions the best thing for New Yorkers? Is the action hypocritical or are circumstances different?
What the hell is this garbage article?
So sick of people’s opinions on this virus. If you’re in an area with loads of Covid, you should be restricted to visit an area with less Covid.
Simple as that.
John – Thanks for the kind words.
The point of the post was not whether people should be restricted or not (those links were provided but not discussed, I even mentioned I had gone both ways on the issue at the outset of the post.) Rather, it agrees with your perspective, if you’re an area with “loads of COVID, you should be restricted to visit an area with less COVID.”
Great, we agree. But what this post points out is that when NY was the outbreak state and Florida and Rhode Island had seen relatively low levels of infection, they wanted to restrict those from a high outbreak state (like NY) from entering and force them into a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Cuomo called that unconstitutional and threatened to sue those states for stopping cars to assess risk. But now that NY has flattened the curve and Florida cases are rising, he is imposing the same restrictions he once decried. That is hypocritical to me. Did you have an opinion on whether those actions were hypocritical?
It’s ‘Kyle’ day on liveandletsfly, which means it’s garbage day!
New York doesn’t have less cases. They are still rising.
He added Alaska!!! They don’t even have 6k total cases and no new cases today. HYPOCRISY!
Like if you are FROM New York?
Cuomo was reacting to road blocks set up by state troopers in Rhode Island and Florida instituting a blockade of NY registered vehicles. That was likely unconstitutional. The self quarantine 14 day mandate NY has institutedi s likely legal as a matter of addressing a public health emergency.
As stated in the post and accompanying cited sources, Florida was not barring entry, the outcome was the same as New York’s is now – 14-day quarantine – yet he threatened to sue other states for the same end 14-day quarantine he now imposes.
Cuomo never objected to a quarantine though, thats where you keep spinning your wheels, and rightfully keep getting called out on.
I say safe in the tri state area. Covid numbers are low (hopefully getting lower).
If Texans, Floridians, ….. don’t want to wear face masks, keep distance, …. and be responsible they should not put me in danger.
Travel restrictions are needed to contain this
There’s also the slight issue of 25x cases right now (and 50x the deaths) vs. that time period 3 months ago…context matters
50x the deaths? Mind citing a source on that?
While my link gets posted – you do recognize 2,500 times 50 = 125,000, right?
Well, if you took the 3rd or so day when we only had 10 deaths so far, I guess you could say that now we have 12,500x
~March 28th, when the original RI incident happened that is the reference point for this article, deaths were at 2,500. Ergo ~50x exactly 3 months later.
@ Kyly — You love to stir up s***, don’t you?
@Geny – It seemed like an interesting reversal, no?
You realize the Articles of Confederation were replaced by the Constitution in 1789, right?
As stated in the linked article (click on the hyperlink: Articles of Confederation.)
I love how you think referencing the Articles of Confederation bolsters your argument
See above.
Just because it’s stated in the linked article doesn’t mean that you realize it. The fact that you reference it implies that you think it has meaning, regardless of what your link says
Still haven’t clicked it then?
TLDR: In that post about travel limitations between states I answer why some have cited as the Articles opposition to free movement are no longer in place but also serve as a basis for how states are to treat citizenry from other states.
Wow what a douche. Maybe you should spend more time in the red states.
Cuomo said it was unconstitutional to bar people from NY state in FL and CT. You said yourself that there wasn’t further discussion when the quarantines were put in place as an alternative. Now that NY has instituted quarantines, it’s hypocritical? NY is not baring citizens from FL/CA/TX from entering the state. Just be better Kyle.
Thanks for your encouragement Darin, I’ll try to be better. In the interim, Florida didn’t bar New Yorkers either (with the exception of Key West which is discussed in the linked article about Hawai’i and their right impose restrictions.) They questioned inbound traffic, and if they were 1) experiencing symptoms and 2) Had been in the tri-state area, they were asked to self-quarantine. Medical staff was on-hand to assist with those feeling unwell, and there was no penalty nor refusal of New Yorkers at Florida checkpoints. Cuomo isn’t using roadway checkpoints, but is imposing the same 14-day quarantine and then adding the penalties for violators. How is that not the same thing?
I don’t think you get Darin’s point. Cuomo objected to refusal of entry; he had no issue with quarantine. Now, NY is mandating the same quarantine conditions as was opposed on them earlier – again, which Cuomo did NOT object to. So, Darin’s point is, how is this hypocritical?
You actually have all these points in your article but somehow jump to the conclusion that Cuomo is being hypocritical when he is actually being consistent. How do you not realize this?
I would prefer 14 day quarantines OR presentation of a negative test to break quarantine – at this state of the pandemic, individuals who are traveling, going to restaurants, and such should have much more access to quick Covid-19 testing, Fly to New York – fine, but present a negative Covid 19 test sourced in Florida within 72 hours or get a test right when you arrive in NYC (and try to quarantine before that test result comes back)
It’s been apparent that regular, widely available and quick testing was the way to do all of this safely for months, and we still don’t have it
Cuomo has handled this crisis well; but you’re right…this is hypocritical. But he’s right to do it ( just as it would have been right to do the same for arriving New Yorkers back in March).
I’ll bet there are a few families of deceased nursing home residents that may disagree.
That’s highly inaccurate. Florida has 1/10th the deaths as NY despite having a higher population and older popular. Governor DeSantis was very effective at using the national guard to test and decontaminate nursing homes while giving low risk residents the option to get some air and live their lives. Cuomo did the opposite. He abandoned the nursing homes and strictly locked down the State. However, he did not lockdown the subways.
New York Deaths: 31,484
Florida Deaths: 3,419
With these numbers it is obvious Cuomo did very poorly and DeSantis did amazingly well.
Welcome to the FauxNews spin zone! Where Trump has never been doing better and is steaming towards a landslide re-election. LOLOL.
(Of course, the matter of a ~3-4 month difference in terms of early vs. late arrival to the respective region plays no difference whatsoever)
Surely, you jest. Cuomo’s (and de Blasio’s) mismanagement of the pandemic is criminal and it seeded the spread of the virus across the rest of the country. Cuomo even had to change his mantra from “just one life” to “people are going to die” once the public realized he had completely screwed up and ordered viral bombs into nursing homes. I believe you are left-of-center and inclined to praise whomever the leftist media praises, but maybe this ProPublica article will change your mind about Cuomo (ProPublica is hardly Fox News).
https://www.propublica.org/article/two-coasts-one-virus-how-new-york-suffered-nearly-10-times-the-number-of-deaths-as-california
Cuomo has not handled the crisis well. Not at all. Ref the elderly cleared from hospitals and sent to nursing homes where many died.
Oh my!!!! NY managed to have the worst duo Governor and Mayor of the entire country. The only other duo that competes for the first place in MN.
Let me guess…you praise TX, GA, and FL? LOL.
US COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people, by state, as of June 26, 2020
New Jersey: 167 (Gov. Murphy, Democrat)
New York: 161 (Gov. Cuomo, Democrat)
Connecticut: 121 (Gov. Lamont, Democrat)
Georgia: 26 (Gov. Kemp, Republican)
Florida: 15 (Gov. DeSantis, Republican)
Texas: 8 (Gov. Abbott, Republican)
ROTFLMAO!!! LOLERZ!!!
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/
You do realize that 14 of the 15 states with the highest life expectancy are democratic, right? This pandemic will not even shift that slightly when u realize a Californian already lives 2.5 years longer than a Texan and 5 years longer than an Oklahoman.
This post was about the hypocrisy of Cuomo, who is lionized by the left when in fact his pandemic performance has been abysmal. TDS-afflicted UA-NYC wanted to make this a blue state versus red state issue, so I posted some data to show just how well Cuomo and his tri-state Democratic counterparts really did. “Just one life” doesn’t apply if it’s in a red state, apparently. Surely there are some black lives among them. Nice try to shift the goalposts of the discussion. “Blue states are so much better that we have plenty of lives we can throw away.” Of course, these would disproportionately be black and brown ones, since COVID-19 is racist.
Hoping you and all the other MAGA trolls who discovered these travel blogs post-Nov 2016 make a hasty retreat back to the underground after the Nov 3 Blue Wave
It’s crazy how fixated UA-NYC is on Trump. I never voted for the guy. I think UA-NYC could do with reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind. Leftists think they have a monopoly on empathy and yet they seemingly have none for those who don’t think, no feel, in lockstep with them.
If states had closed borders like EU countries we might not be in the sorry state we are in now. Equally, other countries might have the option of removing travel restrictions on certain states if we weren’t all lumped together as one dysfunctional pit of never ending contagion.
Title of the article could be re-written as: Cuomo Walks in Through Doors Others Opened.
I know you have received this comment before – but it is really quite baffling how you can cite the Articles of Confederation as your point in support or in opposition to anything. Ratification of the Constitution expressly repealed the Articles… The argument you are making, which is that only Congress has the right to regulate (and by inference, restrict) interstate commerce, is premised on SCOTUS jurisprudence on
the “dormant commerce clause.” I love reading this blog, but these comments about the Articles of Confederation are really off-putting. – Signed, someone who passed 7th grade civics.