Cuomo: Trump's mandatory quarantine comments "really panicked people"

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference Sunday that President Trump's unexpected Saturday announcement of a possible "short-term" quarantine of New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut to curb the spread of the coronavirus "really panicked people."

Why it matters: Though Trump ruled out the mandatory quarantine later that day, Cuomo said people still called "all night long" asking about the comments and many likely fled the New York area — possibly spreading the virus further.

What he's saying:

"Last night we were fighting two things. You're fighting the virus and you're fighting the fear. I can't tell you how many people called all night long about the mandatory quarantine comment that the president made as he was getting into a helicopter, which was inconclusive, by the way.

But people are so on edge. I mean, it really panicked people. They were going to leave the city last night. So, you need to manage that fear and panic."

The big picture: Cuomo announced that the state has registered 7,195 new cases and 237 deaths from the virus, bringing total deaths to 965.

• Yes, but: While cases have continued to increase, the rate of doubling for hospitalizations has slowed from every 2.5 days to every six days, Cuomo said.
• At least 846 patients have left hospitals after being treated for the virus, bringing the total number of people discharged to 3,572.

The governor also announced at the press conference that he would extend New York's stay-at-home for nonessential workers until April 15, adding that the government will re-evaluate the orders every two weeks.

• "I'm not going to paper over the economic reality," Cuomo said. "This is not going to be a quick down, quick up. You're looking at weeks to months. The recovery is going to be complicated."