Governor Cuomo: «Your safe zone, it’s not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year.»
Cuomo: «This year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. As hard as that is to say and hear, because if I had to predict, you’re going to see a significant spike post-Thanksgiving.»
Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo urged New Yorkers to remain diligent and avoid holiday gatherings and travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
AUDIO is available here.
A rush transcript is available below:
I’ve worked on this every single day for 260-plus days. The virus is complicated, but the virus is simple. You know what it is going to do. You know what it is going to do. You know what’s going to happen at Thanksgiving. People will travel. People will come together. I am telling you- I will wager you that if people are not extraordinarily diligent and act in a way they’ve never acted before, you’re going to see a very large spike.
The travel is a real problem for us because this state still has the lowest infection, except for Vermont or Maine. If people are coming from Vermont or Maine, they don’t pose as much of a risk. If they’re coming from anywhere else, they pose a greater risk. It’s your family, it’s your home, it’s your table, these are all environments where you feel safe and that is the beauty of Thanksgiving. I’m at home with my family. I’m in my safe zone. Your safe zone, it’s not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year. Please- love is sometimes doing what’s hard. This year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. As hard as that is to say, and hear, because if I had to predict, you’re going to see a significant spike post-Thanksgiving. It is then going to run into the Christmas holidays, and you’re going to see these numbers go very high.
New York’s triggers are some of the most conservative in the country. Our 3 percent, our 4 percent, that’s half of California’s, most states are already above our triggers. Okay? The overwhelming majority of states are already above our triggers. But, better safe than sorry. And we went through this once before, and we want to minimize the damage, and that’s why I’m comfortable with the low triggers. But please, this is not just rhetoric. I am telling you, Thanksgiving, you look at the infection rate, 5, 6, 7, 8 days after Thanksgiving, it will be up. You’ll then be in early December. Early December, I’ll meet you for a Christmas drink, let’s celebrate Hannukah, let’s get together, celebrate end of year, 2020 is ending, it was the worst year in my life, let’s get together and have a drink, and you’re going to see a further spike.
From here to January is very dangerous. A vaccine is on the way. Not in any timeframe that is going to make a difference to the immediate future.