You are reading

De Blasio Says New Yorkers Should Prepare for Possible Shelter-In-Place Order

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner of NYC Department of Health Oxiris Barbot at a press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic at City Hall last week

March 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Mayor Bill de Blasio said New Yorkers should prepare for a possible “shelter-in-place” order as the number of coronavirus cases in New York City jumped more than 75 percent in one day.

Across the five boroughs, there are now 814 positive cases of COVID-19 — up from 463 confirmed yesterday.

Queens has 248 cases, Manhattan has 277, Brooklyn has 157, the Bronx has 96 and Staten Island has 36. New York City’s deaths related to COVID-19 remains at seven.

With such a steep rise in the number of positive cases, de Blasio said a shelter-in-place order is on the table.

“We’re certainly going to have thousands of cases next week,” Mayor de Blasio said.

De Blasio said the decision on whether to issue an order should be made in the next 48 hours and he will work with the state to make that decision.

“I think New Yorkers should be prepared, right now, for the possibility of a shelter-in-place order,” de Blasio told reporters at a press conference today. “It has not happened yet, but it is definitely a possibility at this point.”

Such a measure would be unprecedented in New York City.

“We have never been here before. I have never heard of anything like this in the history of New York City,” de Blasio said.

He said if an order is enacted, the City would have to create it from scratch, but it could look similar to the order in California’s Bay Area which requires people to stay home except for essential activities.

However, at an earlier press conference today, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that no locality could issue a shelter-in-place or quarantine order alone.

“No locality in this state can take an action without state approval,” Cuomo said this morning. For example, “if Albany city said quarantine in place, I wouldn’t allow it.”

“Whatever we do is going to be statewide, thought through, comprehensive,” he said. “Nobody’s going to be quarantined. If there are any additional actions, the likely additional actions would be on the business side first.”

Following, de Blasio’s comments, the Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa reiterated Cuomo’s point.

“Any blanket quarantine or shelter in place policy would require State action and as the Governor has said, there is no consideration of that for any locality at this time,” DeRosa said.

The mayor also said the City is launching a campaign to recruit more health care workers in what is similar to a “wartime mobilization” effort.

The message of the campaign is simple, de Blasio said.

“If you are a healthcare worker or have any appropriate training, we need you,” he said.

He said the City would mobilize the about 9,000 licensed and retired healthcare workers registered in the Medical Reserve Corps and is asking more to sign up for it.

email the author: [email protected]

6 Comments

Click for Comments 
Rick

Jessica Ramos should keep Jackson Heights inform & make sure the community gets the help it needs .
Has anyone heard or seen Daniel Dromm ? or A.O.C ?

5
1
Reply
David

How many updates in the same topic do you need? The president, the mayor and governor are all continuously on TV.

3
3
Reply
😔

Where’s all the elected officials ? Jessica Ramos ? Cruz , Dromm , A.O.C ?
They should be available in this time of crisis. They have forgotten about Jackson Heights.

6
2
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

CM Moya announces support for massive Metropolitan Park proposal near Citi Field

Council Member Francisco Moya announced his support for Metropolitan Park, a proposal put forward by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International that calls for the construction of a casino and entertainment complex on the parking lot just west of Citi Field.

In a lengthy statement released on Thursday afternoon, Moya said that when he was first approached about the project, his main consideration was ensuring that it would meet the needs of his constituents and provide a major boost to the local economy.

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.