Cuomo: Thanksgiving Travelers To New York Will Have To Have Proof Of Negative COVID Test
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - With infection rate soaring around the nation as well as surrounding states, Gov. Andrew Cuomo took new actions Friday in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.
As CBS2's Marcia Kramer reports, it's not all bad news: Some downstate hotspots have improved dramatically.
You could call it Governor Cuomo's "don't be a turkey" message for people who want to come here to celebrate Thanksgiving.
"For the holiday weekend, we're going to be increasing enforcement personnel at the New York airports. You should not land if you do not have proof of a negative test," Cuomo said.
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The governor says he's not only increasing the National Guard at Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports, but he's also asked Mayor Bill de Blasio to send more cops.
Cuomo told Kramer there would be no way for a traveler to get off the hook by saying they left the receipt at home, because it seems there's a national Department of Health communication system that tracks these things.
"Let's say you come in and say 'I took the test but I left the receipt at home in my other pocket book.'" Cuomo said. "OK, Ms. Kramer, let me have your name and address and social security number, and I'll check to see if you took it."
The governor announced the latest testing results in hot zone mini clusters.
- Far Rockaway is no longer considered a hot zone
- The Brooklyn red and yellow zones are being reduced by 50%
- Rockland is going from red to orange
- Orange county is going from orange to yellow
- Port Chester, on the Connecticut border, is being added as a mini cluster and labeled a yellow zone*
And with New York City adding two zip codes in Staten Island as areas of concern, assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, the presumptive winner of the congressional race there, is urging constituents to take the situation seriously and wear masks.
"When you're with other people you should be wearing your masks, and you know this is the way that we can make sure that we don't give the ability to the mayor to conduct more broad-based shut downs," Malliotakis said.
She says mask wearing will keep restaurants open and help the economy to get back on track.
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