Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has contracted the deadly coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Monday afternoon.
“He’s been at the airports, obviously,” Cuomo said at a press conference. “He’ll be working from home and now the senior team that works with Rick will also be tested. So several of them may be on quarantine.”
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Cotton does not have any symptoms and is working from home.
“Mr. Cotton is currently asymptomatic and has self-quarantined at his home while maintaining a full schedule,” the interstate agency said. “Any staff members who have had close contact with him in recent days are also working from home as they follow the guidelines and protocols put in place by the New York State Department of Health.”
The number of coronavirus cases in New York saw a sharp increase from 105 to 142 on Monday. Most cases are in Westchester Country, a wealthy enclave outside New York City. New Jersey has six confirmed cases.
Cuomo announced a state of emergency on Saturday, allowing “expedited purchasing and expedited hiring” to fight the illness that originated in Wuhan, China.
“Westchester is an obvious problem,” the governor stated. “We talk about contagion in clusters; clusters tend to infect more and more people.”
“We are [being] hypercautious,” he added.
Coronavirus has infected more than 108,000 worldwide and killed over 3800.
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