‘I will enforce law,’ gov tells virus-spike nabes
Gov. Cuomo threatened Wednesday to form a new state police-led task force that would make sure New Yorkers are socially distancing and wearing face masks in a handful of zip codes across the state where coronavirus infections have exploded since last week.
Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Cuomo acknowledged there aren’t enough state police troopers to enforce compliance in all the hotspot zip codes, the worst of which are in predominantly Hasidic parts of Brooklyn, Rockland County and Orange County.
However, Cuomo suggested he could use his authority to force officials in those zip codes to lend him officers from their local police departments to use for the task force. He mentioned the NYPD in particular.
“If you are unwilling to enforce the law, I will enforce the law,” Cuomo said. “I will ticket people who don’t wear masks, because that will save lives at this point.”
“The local governments’ failure to enforce the law has exacerbated this problem,” he said.
In one zip code in Rockland County, a staggering 17% of tests conducted Tuesday came back positive, according to data from the state Health Department. Another zip code in the county reported a 14% infection rate.
In Brooklyn, positivity rates in parts of Midwood, Borough Park, Gravesend and some other neighborhoods hovered between 4% and 8%.
Several of the areas with skyrocketing infections are home to large Orthodox Jewish populations.
The Jewish High Holidays, which continue with the celebration of Succoth beginning Friday night, typically include large gatherings for both extended families and congregations. The governor noted that’s likely the explanation for the COVID-19 spikes.
Cuomo said some of New York’s Hasidic Jews had picked up on President Trump’s frequent downplaying of the danger of the pandemic.
“President Trump says you don’t need a mask, the local governments haven’t done their job — I think those were the top two rationales,” Cuomo said in summarizing a call with Jewish leaders.