US infighting: New York threatens to sue RI over coronavirus policy
Iran Press TV
Sunday, 29 March 2020 2:15 AM
New York is threatening to sue Rhode Island over the new policy of stopping vehicles with New York license plates and collecting information about them as part of the state's efforts to tackle the coronavirus spread.
Internal rows in the US come amid a fractured global response to the coronavirus pandemic, growing fast, in part, across the United States.
"This was an opportunity for us to step forward and say we are the reliable global partner and we're going to help you fix this, we're going to help you get past this," a former State Department official told The Hill.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN on Saturday that he would take legal action against the Ocean State if it upholds the new policy.
"If they uphold that policy, I'm going to sue," said the Democratic mayor, adding that he would likely work it out "amicably" with Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo.
New York has more confirmed cases of the covid-19 than any other state in the US.
"I think what they did is wrong, it was reactionary. I think it was illegal but we'll work it out amicably, I'm sure," Cuomo said. "No state should be using police to prohibit interstate travel in any way."
He further censured President Donald Trump's suggestion for a short-term quarantine of "hot spots" in parts of the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
"It would be chaos and mayhem," Cuomo said. "It's totally opposite everything he's been saying. I don't think it is plausible. I don't think it is legal."
The Trump administration has come under unprecedented pressure over its poor response to the deadly pandemic both at the global and the state level.
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