NY delays presidential primary; Trump nixes quarantine idea

NEW YORK (AP) — As coronavirus cases rose in the national epicenter of New York, President Donald Trump surprised governors of the state and neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut by saying Saturday that he might impose a quarantine on their residents before tweeting later in the day that a travel advisory was the way to go.

Trump's comments about a quarantine led New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call it illegal and “a federal declaration of war.” Meanwhile, Cuomo postponed New York's presidential primary from April to June, and nurses made anguished pleas for more protective equipment.

Here are the latest coronavirus developments in New York:

A TRI-STATE QUARANTINE?

Trump told reporters at the White House he was weighing the idea of a quarantine to prevent people in the tri-state area from traveling for a short time. Late Saturday, though, he tweeted that he'd decided to go with a travel advisory.

The travel advisory urges residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to immediately avoid any nonessential travel for two weeks.

All 50 U.S. states have reported some cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, but New York has the most, with over 52,000 positive tests for the illness and more than 700 deaths. About 7,300 people were in New York hospitals Saturday, including about 1,800 in intensive care.

The federal government has the power to take measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases among states, but it's not clear whether that means Trump can order people not to leave their states.

Trump cited requests from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican and outspoken Trump supporter who has complained about New Yorkers coming to his state amid the outbreak and ordered them to isolate themselves on arrival for 14 days.

Trump said he had spoken...