New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon that residents should be “prepared right now for the possibility of a shelter in place order” but added that the decision has yet to be determined.
After acknowledging that everyone is “deeply concerned about the direction and the trajectory” of the worsening crisis, de Blasio said that he thinks it’s the “right guidance” to give New Yorkers the heads up of a possible shelter in place order, despite how a decision has not yet been made by the city or by the state.
The New York City mayor added that it’s “definitely a possibility at this point,” before saying that he estimates a decision being made in the next 48 hours.
“It’s a very, very difficult decision — I want to emphasize that,” de Blasio said. “It is difficult anywhere in the United States of America, it is particularly difficult in a city with such a large population, so densely populated together. But I think the point has come where that decision does have to be made.”
De Blasio said that he will be “communicating closely” with the state.
Earlier Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) warned that the coronavirus outbreak in New York is likely to peak 45 days out and that more aggressive measures are “likely” to come if the curve shows no signs of flattening.
The New York officials’ remarks were made a day after six Bay Area counties in northern California announced its “shelter in place” order Monday for all residents, directing them to practice social distancing by staying home for the next three weeks in an effort for public health officials to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The order went into place at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.