NYPD Will Break Up Large Gatherings In Parks, Mayor Says

NEW YORK, NY — New York City will direct police officers to break up large social gatherings in places such as public parks after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo railed against young people defying the state's social distancing guidelines to help contain the spread of new coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio said during multiple press appearances Monday that he will present a formal plan to break up social gatherings to the Governor this week.

"Commissioner Shea and I spoke about yesterday – we're going to use the NYPD and other enforcement agencies to get out in the parks and all around to grocery stores, pharmacies, wherever we see people congregating. We're going to remind people they have to spread out," de Blasio said Monday on 1010 WINS.

The mayor spoke in more detail about the new NYPD directive during a Tuesday morning "Fox and Friends" appearance, saying: "our men and women of the NYPD will be out there spreading the message telling people to break it up, move along, no lines tight together in a grocery store, no grocery stores full up."

The mayor said Monday that he isn't going to "hesitate" to enact more closures around the city, including at parks, if people continue to disobey social distancing guidelines.

Cuomo singled out young people congregating in city parks during a wide-ranging Saturday press briefing on the state's efforts to combat coronavirus. Cuomo said young people may think they're immune to coronavirus, but are not. People ages 18 to 49 account for about half of the confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, he said.

"This is a public health issue and you cannot endanger other people's health," the governor said during his weekend press conference.

Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know