Where is NYC’s Expected Second Wave Coming From? No one knows.

Governor Cuomo: “We now have people coming to New York, fleeing the other states because it’s the “safe state”. So we have people coming here just for the purpose of fleeing the virus in their state.”

“Really the only answer is, those other states have to get the virus under control and the Federal Government has been incompetent on this situation.”

Despite New York’s containment of the COVID-19 virus, Governor Cuomo is totally convinced that New York will experience a second COVID-19 wave. It will come from another state. With 31 states on our mandatory Quarantine Travel Advisory and 40 experiencing a surge in cases it may be inevitable unless our borders are completely closed.

I’m inclined to say that it’s all just a gut feeling of the Governor’s since he’s unable to say exactly how this will all come to pass. However, it’s not too far from our own gut feeling. There’s good reason he’s up in arms over the lack of adherence on our streets.

According to the Governor, 90% of those entering the state are coming through the airports. Authorities are watching the airports but no one’s watching the roadways. Admittedly, 90% is a very unlikely number. I’d like to think that the Governor may have misspoken.

In late June he expressed concerns about interstate commerce, yet when asked about interstate commerce this past Monday he avoided the question.

Surely, the odds of infected folks coming in through our roads is more likely than through a system (airports) that’s got an enforcement mechanism presently in place.

As we see it, Interstate Commerce includes truck deliveries by those who’ve traveled clear across the nation. Today, the Governor was approached on this subject and he explained how such workers were exempt since he couldn’t see why these workers would be spending more than 24 hours in any state.

As per the NY State Health Department:

“”The requirements of the travel advisory do not apply to any individual passing through designated states for a limited duration (i.e., less than 24 hours) through the course of travel.””

Thus, that takes them out of the equation, but what of anyone else on the road? For whatever reason, the Governor’s avoiding the question altogether. His stating that there’s no enforcement mechanism for it is not enough to simply dismiss the concern. Right?

So in the end, there’s no telling who’ll bring the virus back onto our front doorstep – where they’ll be from or through what mode of transport.

I cannot help but think there’s something the Governor’s not telling us and quite possibly for good reason? Is his supposed gut feeling more than just an educated hunch?

There’s so much about this virus that’s still unknown. With every passing week scientists and leaders will claim to have an edge on understanding the virus. Yet in the end we end up discovering how lost we truly are. It took WHO and the CDC how long to finally acknowledge the airborne threat which Coronavirus held? There are numerous other instances resembling that example.

It’s easy to consider Governor Andrew Cuomo as the undeclared leader of America (since we really have no other). As the man who lead what was once the COVID-19 epicenter of the world to a point where the virus is contained it’s quite likely he and his team know a heck of a lot more than many others do about how this virus ticks.

Makes me wonder what else he might know. Are there strains out there in America that would wreck havoc if they found their way into New York? What else could there be? Is there something else at the core of his worries? ‘or are we merely reading too much into this?

Governor Cuomo today:

” … there is a COVID ricochet effect that we’re now seeing where the infection rate will just bounce throughout the country,” said the Governor today. “To say New York will be fine when you see the increases in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California. We know that’s not the case. We know that the infection rate travels across the country because people are mobile and the virus travels with people.”

My question to the Governor on Monday, July 20:

We’ve tried narrowing down how the virus would be reintroduced into New York. I asked Mr. Cuomo on Monday about his concerns from the end of June. That is, interstate commerce. He clearly mentioned it back then; there’s no denying it.

I asked what he would suggest to the Federal Government, or rather, what he would do to safeguard New York, if he had the power. At first it would appear as if he’d dodged the question of interstate Commerce when pressed for an answer. His response consisted of reiterating all that he’s spoken of in the past weeks and referencing the newest safeguards and quarantine requirements as they related to airports.

“We have put in place a quarantine … we put together an enforcement mechanism for the quarantine procedure. We actually have police in an airport now. You get off the plane, you have to fill out a form as to where you’re going. So we can follow up on the quarantine. If you don’t fill out that form it’s illegal for you to leave the airport. These are drastic measures that were inconceivable before this. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do as a state. The problem is, you have it increasing now in forty states across the nation. How do you keep the virus in forty states coming to New York?

We now have people coming to New York, fleeing the other states because it’s the “safe state”. So we have people coming here just for the purpose of fleeing the virus in their state.

Really the only answer is, those other states have to get the virus under control and the Federal Government has been incompetent on this situation. The Federal Government has been in denial on this situation. The Federal Government has pressured these other states to reopen recklessly which they did. The President: “Liberate, Liberate, Liberate”.

When I pressed him about the Interstate Commerce, indicating my belief that he was referring to delivery truck drivers he responded:

“The main way people come into the state is through the airports. That’s 90% of everybody who comes into the state. We do not have a mechanism to get to people who may be driving into the state or passing through the state. We don’t have an enforcement mechanism for that.”

Related Reading:

• Governor’s Executive Order (No. 205: Quarantine Restrictions on Travelers Arriving in New York) of June 24
• NY State Department of Health: COVID-19 Travel Advisory
• WHY NY Governor Andrew Cuomo Believes THERE WILL BE A SECOND COVID-19 WAVE
• Governor Cuomo Announces Travel Enforcement Operation at Airports Across the State to Help Ensure Travelers are Following Quarantine Restrictions