New York governor Andrew Cuomo is now getting very serious about COVID-19. Today he announced the deployment of New York’s National Guard and the creation of a “Containment Zone” in a one square mile section of New Rochelle that is the epicenter of New York State’s outbreak. You can find a map at the AP. The National Guard will be assisting the self-quarantined population, delivering food, and cleaning. Someone clearly briefed him on what’s working in other areas.
Earlier today, it was reported locally that he was getting resistance from New Rochelle’s school superintendent on an extended closure of the school. But two-week closures will happen.
All I can say is that locally, many people are still trapped in the mindset that the media cultivated a month ago, telling themselves that it’s no worse than the flu and that people are overreacting. The knowledge that Cuomo is sending in the National Guard is very likely to shake people out of complacency and get a larger part of the population here to be more conscientious about hygiene and staying indoors when they have even a mild fever.