Rhode Island Governor Rescinds Order To Hunt New Yorkers To Stop COVID-19 Spread

KEY POINTS

Governor Gina Raimondo rescinded her order against New Yorkers
Rhode Island residents want New Yorkers banned from their towns
Governor Andrew Cuomo thanked Raimondo for reconsidering her extreme directive

Governor Gina Raimondo has dialed down on her order to specifically stop New Yorkers who have been driving down to Rhode Island to escape the coronavirus epicenter in the U.S.

Officers of the Rhode Island Police Department have been holding up cars coming from New York since Friday, March 28. On Saturday, the National Guard joined the state police in conducting a house-to-house hunt for people coming from New York. They were looking for parked cars with New York plates in curbs and garages to force people to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

Reports stated that authorities were also visible in bus or train stations and the TF Green Airport. Visitors from New York who defied the 14-day quarantine were informed that they might be jailed for 90 days or fined $500.

"Right now we have a pinpointed risk,” the governor said during a press conference over the weekend. “That risk is called New York City.”

My top priority all along has been protecting the health and safety of Rhode Islanders, just like Governor Cuomo is doing for the people of New York. No matter where you live, we know these are difficult times, and we are all in it together.
— Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) March 29, 2020

Residents of Rhode Island apparently want to ban these "coronavirus refugees" from the Big Apple as the Hamptons beaches fill up with people, which include the rich and the famous. They want New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to impose a travel ban to stop New Yorkers from coming to their towns. Cuomo, however, is opposed to the restriction.

"I don’t like it socially or culturally,” Cuomo said during a radio interview. “I don’t like what it says about us as one state, one family. Also, I don’t believe it’s medically justified.”

However, as Cuomo and some civil rights groups called out Raimondo's extreme measures, the governor scaled down on her orders targeting New Yorkers. She now requires authorities to advise all motorists, regardless of their license plates, to be pulled over and advised on the quarantine orders.

Cuomo said that he was able to talk with Raimondo and thanked her for reconsidering her order.

"I did talk to the governor of New York yesterday,” Raimondo said. “It was after I had already taken my action, and we chatted about it.”

Per the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, New York City alone has confirmed 43,119 COVID-19 positive cases, with 932 deaths as of March 31. Rhode Island has less than 500 confirmed cases and eight deaths.

Raimondo also ordered that beaches and parks will be closed by Friday, April 3.