A.G. Gancarski
The ongoing Cold War between the Governors of New York and Florida over which state has the worst COVID-19 problem heated anew Thursday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, addressing reporters at a press conference, voiced his concerns about travelers from Florida in light of the state’s surge in COVID-19 cases.
“If you went to Florida, you had to quarantine for two weeks because they were afraid that New Yorkers were bringing the virus to their state,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said Thursday. “You want to talk about a full 180. Fast forward 100 days, now we’re afraid they’re bringing the virus to our state.”
Indeed, one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ signature moves to stem the virus earlier in the Spring was an attempt to impose a 14-day quarantine on travelers from the Empire State to the Sunshine State.
“That’s the only way we can be sure that that virus is not going to be reintroduced in the state of Florida and then spread,” the first-term Republican Governor said in March. ““You have so many people working so hard, many people have sacrificed to try to protect our friends and neighbors, and I just think it would be unacceptable to continue to allow it.”
Throughout much of the Spring, New York struggled with getting coronavirus in check even as Florida seemed to be succeeding, and the Governor advanced a narrative of defeating the virus, one trumpeted by conservative media.
In a piece in National Review, an unidentified source was used to vent on DeSantis’ behalf.
“I don’t want to cast aspersions on others, but it is incredible to me, it’s shocking that Governor Cuomo [and others] are able to kind of just avoid real questions about their policies early on to actually send individuals into the nursing home, which is completely counter to the real data,” said a “health official.”
Regardless of those attempts at narrative setting, New York and Florida are headed in opposite directions.
Cuomo crowed Wednesday that New York had a 0.9% rate of positive tests.
Florida, conversely, continues to set new records for raw numbers of positive tests, with the percentage of positives soaring, into double digits earlier this week and just under 9% Wednesday.
Models delineate further challenges for Florida, presenting potential challenges to a Governor who has vowed to open up the state again even as it’s becoming clear that the flattening of the coronavirus curve proved elusive after all.
5 comments
S.B. Anthony
June 18, 2020 at 5:01 pm
Who can blame him with Florida’s numbers? He should ban travel from Florida altogether, not just quarantine Floridians. And DeSantis threatened to keep New Yorkers out of Florida (or quarantine them) when the shoe was on the other foot, so…. good for
the goose, good for the gander.
Robert S.
June 18, 2020 at 5:55 pm
How about deporting the New Yorkers (back to New York) over the age of 65 who invaded (particularly South) Florida over the past 25-30 years? They eat at “early bird specials” at discounted rates, have social gatherings at physicians’ offices (until recently), drive poorly, display boorish behavior, complain at the slightest inconvenience, attempt to impose foreign political ideologies upon the rest of us, and are otherwise generally obnoxious. On second thought, we might want to include younger people too, who went to college here, haven’t found jobs, but have never left. Alternatively, the state could impose all taxes that New York imposes on all things that New York taxes, at the same rates, upon those people. That may in part compensate what Florida has to put up with by their presence.
jon
June 22, 2020 at 2:18 pm
Well said Robert.
I love my state (Fl), it is such a beautiful state. Unfortunately, it’s that beauty and it’s not withholding tax that is destroying it. The north eastern residence are abandoning their the area that they created. Now they are coming to Florida with the same stupid political views. You think they would do the math! Democrat policies destroy!
jon
June 22, 2020 at 2:12 pm
BAHAHAHAHAHA…. now that’s rich! For one thing, it was your scumbag residence that ran away from for your shithole state and infected a lot of other cities and states. This was confirmed in a trace study. Trust me, Floridians cringe everytime we see a car on our roadways with a NEW YORK tag! I occasionally like to yell at them to “go home”! As for Floridians going to NY, well that makes me lol! Why would we go to that cesspool?
Lawrence
June 23, 2020 at 7:07 am
Cuomo is right on this. New York worked so hard to keep their numbers low and now these dumb red necks want to come and spread their stupidity and diseases. No thanks. Florida is a hopeless, flat, ugly hellscape and the residents aren’t protected well by any of their politicians. From Dummy DiSantis to their pathetic senators and state legislators no one is looking out for their best interest. It’s a government by ditto heads. Pathetic. Cuomo wants his residents safe. Is two weeks even enough?
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