Gov. Andrew Cuomo does not want a quanratine of an area.
And a local government doesn't have the power to do it without the state's approval, he said on Tuesday in a news conference.
"There are many rumors out there - part of the fear, the anxiety. People spread rumors," Cuomo said. "Well, maybe you're going to quarantine New York City. We hear New York City is going to quarantine itself. That is not true. That cannot happen. It cannot happen legally. No city in the state can quarantine itself without state approval and I have no interest whatsoever and no plan whatsoever to quarantine any city."
So how will this square with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio raising the possibility -- within the next 48 hours -- of a "shelter in place" order for New York City.
Cuomo during a question-and-answer session at Tuesday morning's briefing with reporters did not seem to see a distinction between the two terms.
Even so, a heads up as long as 48-hours presents a second wrinkle to de Blasio's declaration: Cuomo wants to avoid "shopping" or people who can do so traveling to other communities where similar restrictions aren't put in place. The order to close restaurants, bars and gyms did not come with 48 hours notice, but was being made effective later that evening.
State-level officials have been layering the restrictions on large groups and gatherings in order to reduce the spread of the virus -- closing colleges, closing schools, asking businesses to keep their workers home, and ending large gatherings.
Updated: And Cuomo threw cold water on the mayor's float of a shelter-in-place. He told NY1 in an interview any move would require a regional approach.
"There is not going to be any quarantine," Cuomo said. "No one is going to lock you in your home. No one is going to tell you, you can't leave the city. That's not going to happen."
New Rochelle, a "hot spot" of positive cases has a 1-mile radius containment area that closed schools and other large gathering venues, but individual movement is not restricted in that zone.