Raimondo doubles down on tracking New Yorkers

GOV. GINA M. RAIMONDO said that Rhode Island has identified 165 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
GOV. GINA M. RAIMONDO on Friday said Rhode Island must do everything it can to track New Yorkers entering the Ocean State, to help stop the local spread of the new coronavirus. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Friday doubled down on keeping track of New Yorkers coming into Rhode Island.

In addition to authorizing the Rhode Island State Police to pull over cars with New York license plates that are entering the state to ask for contact information, Raimondo announced that, beginning Saturday, members of the National Guard will begin going door to door in coastal communities to alert residents of the 14-day quarantine order.

“I know this is unusual, I know this is extreme, and I know some people don’t agree with it,” she said. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it were necessary.”

The measures come after reports that residents of the Greater New York City area, which has more than 23,000 cases of COVID-19, are seeking refuge in Rhode Island at second homes and rental properties.

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On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island issued a statement calling Raimondo’s use of the Rhode Island State Police to stop cars from New York unconstitutional.

“The ACLU recognizes that strong measures are needed to address the public health crisis we are witnessing, but giving the state police the power to stop any New York-registered cars that are merely traveling through the state is a blunderbuss approach that cannot be justified in light of its substantial impact on civil liberties,” ACLU of Rhode Island Executive Director Steven Brown said.

Raimondo said she respect’s the group’s stance, but added she made the decision with the input from legal advisers and state authorities.

“This is a state of emergency, this is a public health crisis, and it is imperative that we collect information so we can do contact tracing,” she said.

Failure to follow orders to quarantine may result in fines or prison time, the governor added.

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