The governor was, of course, referring to a nearly three-month lockdown in his state that began in mid-March. New York was the epicenter of the pandemic for months, but now is one of the only states on track to control the coroanvirus. However, during his June 29 press conference, Cuomo made clear that the alarming spike in COVID-19 cases in many other states, and the potential spread via intrastate travel, could cause another nationwide lockdown, even in those states that are seeing very encouraging numbers. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “We don’t want to climb this mountain again,” he said. “That’s why the phased reopening, staying smart, staying disciplined, and that’s why the spread across the country that… if that spread comes to New York, we could have to do this all over again.” Cuomo explained that that’s why he and the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut announced on June 24 that they were issuing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for any visitors from states where COVID-19 cases are surging. Currently, the three states are imposing quarantines on travelers from states with “a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a 10 percent test positivity rate, over a seven day rolling average.” Right now, that includes many western states and southern states, like Florida and Texas.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “In New York, we went from the highest number of cases to some of the lowest rates in the country—no one else had to bend the curve as much as we did and now we have to make sure that the rate continues to drop in our entire region,” Cuomo said during his announcement last week. “A lot of people come into this region and they could literally bring the infection with them. It wouldn’t be malicious or malevolent, but it would still be real.” In his June 29 press conference, Cuomo reiterated: “Doing this once in life is enough. We don’t need to climb another mountain. One mountain was enough.” And for more on where COVID-19 cases look bad, check out These 3 States Are Now in a “Critical” COVID-19 Situation, Researchers Say.
