Lamont: Call for quarantine ‘can lead to panic’
“I look forward to speaking to the President directly about his comments and any further enforcement actions, because confusion leads to panic.”
Gov. Ned Lamont
WASHINGTON — Concerned about the further spread of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump hinted on Saturday that he may order a short-term “enforceable” quarantine for parts of Connecticut, as well as New York and New Jersey.
In what would be the first such mandatory federal order in response to the coronavirus, Trump indicated the possibility of restricting non-commercial travel out of the three states.
“I’m thinking about that right now,” Trump told reporters, supporting his idea to freeze traffic in the tri-state. “We might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility that sometime (Saturday) we’ll do a quarantine — short term — two weeks for
New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut."
Gov. Ned Lamont was surprised by the vague statement, which he warned could create confusion, “which can lead to panic.”
In his daily briefing Saturday, Lamont said the president “was thinking out loud” and that if such an order happened, it would be nearly impossible to enforce at the many state’s border
crossings. After consulting with the White House, he expected a clarification later Saturday night.
The tension came on the day that coronavirus-related deaths nationwide reached 2,000, doubling in two days. The first COVID-19 fatality was reported a month ago. Health officials have been warning that the worst of the pandemic is ahead.
Speaking in the State Capitol in Hartford, Lamont said six more people died in state hospitals since Friday, five in Fairfield County, bringing the Connecticut fatalities to 33. The state Department of Health reported that there are now 1,524 diagnosed cases.
Lamont said that after consulting with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, along with an unnamed high-level figure in the White House, it’s clear that there is no infrastructure in place to stop traffic from leaving the region.
“You have to be very careful what you say when you talk about mandatory quarantine,” Lamont said. “We’re not saying more can’t be done.” He said it would be up to the individual states to enforce such a rule if it were dictated from Washington. “Let’s see what they mean.”
“I think they were thinking out loud at looking at the hot spots, including the New York area, including even Louisiana and Detroit,” he said. “They said we’re thinking about a wide array, everything from lockdown to the status quo.”
He called a lockdown “unenforceable, if they are talking about slowing or stopping traffic,” because of the number of roads into and through the region. “If you care as much as the president does about getting this economy going again, you’ve got to be very careful about what you say and what you don’t say,” Lamont said.
Unlike the combative New York governor, Lamont is shying away from a battle of words with Trump.
He told the White House he’s willing to work together on strengthening his instruction that people coming into the state quarantine for 14 days, but that he, Murphy and Cuomo “really worry about even the prospect of what a lockdown would look like.”
“We’re not Rhode Island,” he said, where law enforcement is stopping cars and going door-to-door to enforce a mandatory quarantine on New Yorkers coming to the state. Asked if he would consider taking similar action, Lamont said he does not anticipate that. While Cuomo called that approach unconstitutional, Lamont said only that it “seems a little aggressive to me.”
Despite the president’s indication that he may quarantine parts of the state, Connecticut still has not received a major disaster declaration, which Lamont requested on Thursday.
Lamont, in his 17th executive order since declaring an emergency, also authorized state officials to take action to provide alternative housing for first responders, health care workers and people staying in homeless shelters or other group housing to reduce transmission of the virus. Officials can seek reimbursement from FEMA for those efforts, he said.
Attorney General William Tong, in a statement after Lamont’s 18-minute news conference, agreed with the governor.
“Our leaders cannot think out loud at moments like this,” Tong said. “They must speak with clarity and authority. Off-the-cuff comments by the president, made without necessary coordination with governors on the front lines of this crisis — are not helpful.”
Cuomo slammed the idea as illegal, nonsensical and "a declaration of war on states," during an appearance on CNN Saturday evening. He suggested that he doubted Trump was seriously considering the idea, saying, “if the president was considering this, I guarantee he would have called . ... This is a civil war kind of discussion.”
“I don’t believe that any federal administration could be serious about physical lockdowns of states or parts of states across this country," Cuomo said. "I don’t believe it’s legal. I think it would be economic chaos.”
Asked about the president’s authority to quarantine states, Trump’s new acting Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said, “We’re evaluating all the options right now.”
On Tuesday, the White House requested that anyone who has recently been in the New York metro area — the most severe coronavirus outbreak in the country — self-quarantine for 14 days starting from their day of departure from the region.
Several other states have raised concerns about people from the New York metro area going to other parts of the country and starting outbreaks in those places. Governors in four states, including Florida, have ordered that travelers arriving from the New York area, including parts of Connecticut and New Jersey, selfquarantine for two weeks.
“They’re having problems down in Florida,” Trump said Saturday. “A lot of New Yorkers are going down. We don’t want that. Heavily infected.”
Asked if he would shut down the New York City subway, bridges or tunnels, Trump said, “No, we won’t do that. We’re talking about leaving New York.”
The president also added that trade through the New York metro area would not be affected.
“This does not apply to people such as truckers from outside the New York area who are making deliveries or simply transiting through,” Trump said. “It won’t affect trade in any way.”
‘I don’t even like the sound of it’
Trump and Cuomo spoke Saturday morning, both confirmed, but the subject of a new quarantine on the region was not discussed, the New York governor said.
“I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine," Cuomo said. “I don’t even know what that means...I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable and from a medical point of view, I don’t know what you would be accomplishing. But I can tell you, I don’t even like the sound of it."
Early Saturday afternoon, Trump told a media gathering that he would discuss the idea with Cuomo later that afternoon. Cuomo said he never got a call.
“This proposed White House action seems unworkable, unenforceable, and possibly unconstitutional,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “It is also unsupported by medical or scientific facts. It’s more Trump ad hoc edict based on impulse, not informed judgment. President Trump should be collaborating with the governors, which he has failed to do. The governors have been ahead of federal authorities in their courageous and steadfast leadership, and their insights and input should be heeded. What we really need is masks, ventilators, and other medical supplies, not more confused mixed messages.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, said he also had no heads up about the possibility of further restrictions for the New York area.
“We all have questions,” Himes said. “Sadly, one of the characteristics of this president is we can’t trust anything he says. There are obviously very serious health questions about this… it’s not clear that this would be medically appropriate and it’s not clear what he means.”
How would it be enforced?
Trump said the possible quarantine would be “enforceable.” Asked if he would use the military of National Guard to enforce the measure, Trump responded, “We’re not going to need much.”
Blumenthal questioned how a quarantine would be enforced by federal authorities.
“The exact meaning and impact of this quarantine are completely unclear and uncertain,” he said. “There are questions as to how he would enforce it and how far it would reach and what exactly would prohibit.”
Capt. David Pytlik, a spokesman for the Connecticut National Guard, said Saturday he did not know how the federal government would enforce mandatory travel restrictions for New York metro-area residents.
As for actions at the state level, Pytlik was not aware of any discussion about shutting down borders, he said. Pytlik also did not think Connecticut was considering the use of law enforcement to keep people inside, he said.
“That’s just not something we’re seeing in the tea leaves,” Pytlik said. “The governor is asking people to act like rational adults and apply common sense. For the most part, they have been.”
While Trump recently authorized federal funding for the Connecticut National Guard, Pytlik emphasized that the step does not mean the guard will be federalized. Instead, the agency will remain under the control of Lamont, he said.
The White House has not issued any mandatory quarantine orders yet, but issued coronavirus guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that individuals should work and school from home if possible and avoid travel. Those 15-day guidelines were issued almost two weeks ago.
It’s unclear if Trump will extend them. The president has said he would like the country to be open for business and “packed churches” on Easter Sunday, April 12.