Amid Baseball COVID-19 Fears, Cuomo Suggests Games At NY Stadiums

LONG ISLAND, NY — As Major League Baseball continues to grapple with coronavirus woes and canceled games after at least 17 Marlins players and coaches have tested positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has an offer to MLB teams: Play in New York.

The offer came at the same time as three new states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., have been added to New York's quarantine list, bringing the total to 34 states plus Puerto Rico and D.C.

"Major league baseball is struggling with the challenges of playing ball during the COVID-19 crisis," Cuomo said. "I have said from Day 1 I thought it was a good idea to get sports back, without fans. It's good for the the economy, for the nation's soul."

Cuomo's suggestion is that New York State could host any MLB game that teams wanted to play in New York stadiums. New York, he said, has one of the lowest infection rates of any state in the nation, with full health protocols and testing systems in place.

Here's how it would work: Cuomo said team members would fly in on a private aircraft and go straight to a hotel where they would be under mandatory quarantine and tested. Ball players would only be in the company of other players and team staff who would also be tested, he said. Anyone who tested negative could play in New York stadiums and then get on a plane and fly home. Anyone who tested positive would remain in quarantine and sent home, he said.

Cuomo said it would be similar to the Blue Jays playing in Buffalo.

When asked if players from high-risk states would have to follow that state's quarantine orders, and if baseball players were the same as "essential workers," who are not tested upon arrival back in New York, Cuomo said: "It's a third category. If you are a traveler, you've got to quarantine. If you are an essential worker, you come, you go, you do nothing — and we thank you for your service."

A third protocol would be created for players on MLB teams, Cuomo said. "It's very restrictive," he said. "You can only come in to play ball, and you must agree to mandatory quarantine."

After the games, players would leave. "What it does for New York is, this would be incredibly exciting," Cuomo said. "It would be great for the economy, great for morale, great for the psyche of the state and the country."

The governor said he understands the practical dynamics, with teams wanting to play in their own states, but said he would make it work, just as it did in Buffalo.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also issued an invitation to MLB: "We are ready to host MLB teams at Bethpage Ballpark — home of the LI Ducks," he wrote in a tweet. "This would be a home run for everyone!"

New states added to quarantine list

On Tuesday, Cuomo said New York's infection rate was .93 percent, with 648 new hospitalizations — and nine New Yorkers died in the last 24 hours. Only 81 New Yorkers were intubated, the lowest number since March 15, he said.

To that end, Cuomo said with infection rates spiking nationwide, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico were added to the quarantine list. People flying into New York from those states must fill out a State Department of Health travel form or risk a $2,000 fine. The new additions brought the total to 34 states on the list, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

'Southampton is going to have a problem'

Enforcement, Cuomo said, is critical. "We are appealing once again to local governments to do their job. This has been their prime function, all through this COVID-19 crisis, to ensure compliance."

A controversial Chainsmokers concert in Southampton Town, Cuomo said, was just a "gross violation of not only the public health rules — it was a gross violation of common sense. It was grossly disrespectful to fellow New Yorkers."

The state's department of health is going to do a full investigation of "why the Town of Southampton issued a permit, and as to what the promoters thought they were doing." Cuomo said he wants to know how the event was "allowed to get out of control, and why local law enforcement didn't do anything when they saw the event out of control and all the rules being violated."

There have also been reports received about behavior in the village of Southampton "that have been ongoing and recurring," Cuomo said; the investigation will also involve Southampton town and village leadership, the governor said.

Violations of the public health law can trigger fines and the potential for criminal liability, Cuomo said.

"The Town of Southampton is going to have a problem," Cuomo said. "I don't know how they approved that permit."

A drive-in concert means driving in and staying in the car, he said. "That's not what the concert was in the Hamptons. Look at the pictures. What we saw over the weekend was not a drive-in."

With other such concerts planned across the state, Cuomo said: "See what happened in the Hamptons — and be forewarned."

LIRR fares could spike without federal aid

Cuomo discussed a Republican Senate COVID-19 bill that does not include state and local funding. Without state and local aid, he said, property taxes could rise, school aid could be "roughly 20 percent less," and fares could rise on the Long Island Rail Road and the MTA and mass transit, including the New York City subway system, he said.

This article originally appeared on the Southampton Patch