Governor Andrew Cuomo threatened on Monday morning to reverse the reopening of bars and restaurants statewide if large gatherings, primarily of young people, continue.
As he prepared to leave for Atlanta, Georgia with a load of COVID-19 relief supplies, Cuomo said these gatherings are a sure-fire way of spreading the coronavirus. He said these groups, which he acknowledged are primarily downstate, and bars that cater to them, will ruin the reopening for everyone else by forcing him to crack down.
Cuomo called on local government officials and police around the state to break up such groups and enforce the law.
Cuomo said the second threat to New York’s currently low infection rate is travel from other regions of the country into New York. He acknowledged that his order for travelers to quarantine is virtually unenforceable for everyone coming into the state, particularly by road.