New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose Twitter page still has an image of him riding on a float at a previous year's "Pride" parade, has issued an emergency health order that states all travelers to the Empire State from other states will need to "provide their contact information upon arrival" to contact tracers.
In an alleged effort to stymie the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), Cuomo is ordering that all out-of-state travelers "from designated high-COVID states" must comply with his demands or else "receive a summons with a $2k fine."
"We're serious about enforcing quarantine," Cuomo concluded, apparently deaf to the tone of his authoritarian decree.
As is being reported, New York City saw its first 24-hour period with no new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) the other day, which would seem to imply that now is the time to end the lockdowns. But this is not what is happening, thanks to Cuomo.
Instead of reopening the city and getting its economy going once again, Cuomo is instead pushing for more quarantines and more lockdowns, deterring travelers from coming to the city under the threat that they will be told, "papers, please" before being allowed to enter.
Keep in mind that the same day Cuomo made this announcement is when the NYC Mayor's Office tweeted that no new Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases had been detected in the 24 hours prior. Mayor Bill de Blasio even gave a press conference announcing the good news.
Will Cuomo ever be prosecuted for NursingHomeGate?
As to be expected, Cuomo received considerable backlash on Twitter for once again playing dictator. One user made the sarcastic implication that NYC's lofty $2,000 fines are going to be used towards defending the city against the barrage of lawsuits that are sure to come.
"Thank you for treating this seriously now that New Yorkers are finally in more danger than people in other states are from them," wrote the "Aldous Huxley's Ghost" account in response to Cuomo's tweet.
"Do have one question: are those $2K fines going to go toward paying off the inevitable lawsuits coming from families of your nursing home victims?"
Another user pointed out the obvious hypocrisy of Cuomo failing to mention how the George Floyd "protests" likely contributed to the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Rather than talk about any of this, Cuomo is instead choosing to punish innocent, non-criminal travelers by subjecting them to forced quarantine upon arrival.
"Will you pay a fine for sending elderly COVID patients to nursing homes?" asked another. "Essentially signing thousands of death sentences."
On and on the criticisms went with not a peep of support for Cuomo's mandate from virtually anyone. Many told the governor that they will not forget this come election time, the implication being that Cuomo is on his way out if they have anything to say about it.
Meanwhile, Cuomo has reportedly partnered with two churches in Houston, Texas, to establish alleged Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) testing sites. Northwest Houston's Fallbrook Church along with Southwest Houston's Higher Dimension Church will both be testing up to 1,000 people per day with the help of more than 20 health care workers from New York who were sent there at Cuomo's bidding.
"When New York went through the unprecedented challenge and unimaginable tragedy of COVID-19's apex in the state, states throughout the country provided supplies, ventilators and personnel during our time of greatest need," Cuomo stated.
"Now that New York's numbers have stabilized, we're returning the favor across the country, and I am glad to be able to help the great city of Houston establish two testing sites in vulnerable communities. I thank our incredible partners for their efforts to establish the sites and provide supplies and expertise."
The latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is available at Pandemic.news.
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