Governor Andrew Cuomo said he worries that the coronavirus mutation in the U.K. may be arriving in New York, saying it is negligent of the federal government not to require testing or to curb travel.
Howard Zucker, the state’s commissioner of health, said testing hasn’t turned up any cases of the variant. But Cuomo compared the situation to the spring, when the virus arrived largely via Europe. He said six flights are arriving each day from the U.K. to New York.
“This is the same mistake -- and literally six flights a day,” he told reporters on a conference call. “All it takes is one person.”
Cuomo reported 9,957 new cases, a second day of lower infections after the New York hit a record for the entire pandemic. Another 123 people died, the fourth consecutive day with more than 100 fatalities. Hospitalizations and the positive-test rate fell slightly.
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