Mayor's Shelter-In-Place Tactics Could Cause NYC Exodus: Gov

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio's shelter-in-place announcement only fed a panic that could cause a stampede out of New York City, opined Gov. Andrew Cuomo Thursday morning.

"I spent half my day knocking down rumors that we're going to imprison people in their homes, there is going to be a roadblock around New York City," Cuomo said on CNN.

"Nine million people ... will be fleeing New York City in 24 hours if we don't clearly communicate what we mean."

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

De Blasio's wording was likely to cause panic, Cuomo argued, because the term he used — shelter-in-place — derives from response tactics to nuclear war.

"What it said is people should go into an interior room of their home with no windows, stay there until they get the all clear sign," Cuomo said.

While Cuomo didn't directly mention de Blasio's name, he addressed a stern reprimand to the New York City official calling publicly for "shelter-in-place."

"Communicate what you mean without using terms that nobody understands and only incites panic," said Cuomo.

"Say it in a more clear way, rather than using these buzzwords that are panicking people."

Shelter-in-place is the wording used in San Francisco and the Bay Area, where residents are now required to leave their homes only for essential tasks, such as grocery shopping or walking the dog.

During his announcement Tuesday, de Blasio admitted he was considering such a move despite Cuomo's assertions that only the Governor's office could make that call.

De Blasio admitted he had not spoken to the governor before making the announcement and wasn't quite sure how it would work, saying, "A shelter-in-place begs a lot of questions."

The mayor eventually apologized for frightening New Yorkers Wednesday night and said he had no intention of shutting down bridges or borders, as some were led to believe.

"It's not as draconian as some people may have started to assume," de Blasio said on WCBS. "I should have been blunter."

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