President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday morning that he is considering a quarantine for residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Trump made the comment while taking questions from reporters before leaving the White House for Norfolk, Virginia.

"We are thinking about certain things," Trump said. "Some people would like to see New York quarantine because it's a hotspot. New York, New Jersey, maybe one or two other places, certain parts of Connecticut quarantined. I’m thinking about it right now. We might not have to do it but there’s a possibility that sometime today we all do a quarantine short term two weeks in New York and probably New Jersey, in certain parts of Connecticut."

New York State has reported more than half of all reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. The state has tested more people per capita for the novel coronavirus than anyplace in the world, including China and South Korea.

Governor Andrew Cuomo explained Saturday that he has not been contacted by the White House about a potential statewide quarantine.

"I have no idea what he's talking about, and I don't even know if it's legal," Cuomo said.

Beginning last Sunday, Cuomo ordered all non-essential state workers to stay home as part of the state's PAUSE initiative.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont enacted similar restrictions late this past week.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy put a similar stay-home order in effect last Saturday.

Murphy said at a news conference Saturday afternoon that Trump did not mention a regional quarantine when they spoke a day earlier.

"There’s no question [this area] is the No. 1 hotspot in the country at this point," he said. "Until further notice, we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing… Do we consider, regularly, taking further steps? You bet. We’ll continue to be as aggressive as we’ve been.”

Photo: Getty Images

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