Coronavirus Update: Rockland County Asks Cuomo To Expand Order On Social Distance Enforcement
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - As COVID-19 infection rates climb in southern New York State, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was asked Saturday about setting up a tighter coronavirus containment zone around the hamlet of Monsey in Rockland County.
"Nobody's asked me," Cuomo responded, a point Rockland County Executive Ed Day was quick to point out was not the case.
In a letter dated Thursday, April 2, Day pointed out specific areas where he said residents were not following the state guidelines on avoiding others and staying in homes.
"As you well know, strict compliance with social distancing measures will reduce the number of people who get sick, reduce the number of people who die and prevent our hospital system from being overwhelmed," wrote Day.
"Unfortunately, despite repeated pleas from elected officials, health experts and community and religious leaders, we are not seeing the levels of compliance needed to flatten the curve to a manageable level locally," he said. "In fact, the numbers tell us quite the opposite is happenings."
READ: Request for Containment Zone From Exec Ed Day to Gov. Cuomo (PDF)
Melissa DeRosa, secretary to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said orders to isolate which were ordered for New Rochelle when the coronavirus outbreak began are not essentially in place for all of New York State.
Watch: Gov. Cuomo, New York Officials Talk On Rockland County COVID-19 Containment Efforts --
"When you talk about the containment zone like what we did in Westchester, that was about ending gatherings, that was about shutting down houses of worship at places where a lot of people were packed into one place and closing schools," said DeRosa on Saturday.
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"We've now done that statewide. So we'll certainly reach out to people in Rockland County after this and find out what more they want us to do," she said. "Of course, if there's more measures, we're all ears at all time. But when you talk about that containment zone what we did essentially in New Rochelle, we've now done statewide."
In his letter to Cuomo, Day asked for Cuomo to update his executive order "to specifically allow law enforcement here in Rockland and across New York State take action to enforce the common-sense rules that you have put into place."
