The New York Health Department is "totally besieged by political correctness," which is endangering people unnecessarily to the Zika virus, former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey said.
Speaking on "The Cats Roundtable" Sunday radio show on AM 970 in New York hosted by John Catsimatidis, McCaughey slammed New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett for "not discouraging people from going to the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico because, [Bassett] says, the risk is that Zika will be identified as a Puerto Rican disease or a Dominican disease. Well, that's just nonsense. The fact is we have to make sure it doesn’t become a New York disease."
McCaughey emphasized that the real danger is if a mosquito bites someone who has Zika and then bites someone else, the virus will be transmitted to that person. New York has the highest number of Zika cases of any state, and all of them have been brought into the state, McCaughey said, mostly from those who have traveled to Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.
She stressed that a total travel ban is not necessary, because if those planning trips to such places as the Dominican Republican or Puerto Rico just wait until mosquito season ends in October then it will dramatically decrease the danger of them returning with the virus.
McCaughey also harshly criticized the Obama administration for the funds he requested from Congress to fight the virus, saying that "a huge chunk of the money Obama has asked for is foreign aid. …When you see how beleaguered the health departments are in Florida, Louisiana and Texas … why should we be sending the money [abroad]?"
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.