Self-Isolate For 14 Days After Leaving NYC, White House Says

NEW YORK CITY — Self-quarantine for 14 days after leaving New York City or risk spreading novel coronavirus, White House officials told New Yorkers.

Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the White House's Coronavirus response coordinator, urged New Yorkers to isolate completely for two weeks before leaving the city during a press conference Monday night.

"Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure that the virus doesn't spread to others," Birx said. "Because of the rate of the number of cases, you may have been exposed before you left New York."

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New Yorkers leaving what Mayor Bill de Blasio has called "the epicenter" of the COVID-19 pandemic may have already spread the virus to Long Island and Florida, said Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

About 56 percent of all the U.S. cases and 31 percent of the people who have died from COVID-19 are in New York City, according to Birx.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, there were 15,597 positive cases, 192 fatalities, 2,850 people hospitalized and 660 in the ICU, according to the Mayor's office.

"I just want to reiterate what Dr. Birx said about New York, it's a very serious situation," said Fauci. "They've suffered terribly through no fault of their own."

Vice President Mike Pence asked New Yorkers to avoid nonessential travel and, during the 14-day quarantine, to monitor their temperatures and symptoms related to COVID-19.

Trump congratulated himself and his team on the work they've done to help New York City, which includes the shipment of 2,000 ventilators, deploying the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to build a 2,000-bed hospital in the Javits Center, and sending the hospital ship the U.S. Comfort.

"And you know what we're doing in New York to try and help," Trump said. "And I think we're doing an incredible job."

The press conference — and the promise of 4,000 ventilators for New York State — came hours after Gov. Andrew Cuomo condemned the Trump administration for dragging its feet to provide assistance to the state.

"We need the federal help and we need the federal help now," Cuomo said. "Let's learn how to act as one nation."

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