‘This Is Nuts’

New Rochelle, NY mayor Noam Bramson (D) reflects on his city becoming “ground zero” in the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. one year ago:

“An anecdote I haven’t previously shared illustrates the improvisational quality of those early days and of the ‘containment zone’ in particular. The state first suggested an area with a two-mile radius. We pointed out that this would sweep in many institutions quite removed from the presumed outbreak area, a wider net than the State wanted. Okay, came the response, what about one mile? Equally arbitrary, but maybe better.  This back-and-forth was up against the clock — with a press conference from the Governor only minutes away. The City’s planners, who would ordinarily be the right folks for any geographic analysis, were out of the office at an event, so I sat at my desk, with a ruler, a pencil, and a map of New Rochelle, scribbling a rough circle, trying feverishly to figure out what would fall within the new boundary. Was Ward School in or out?  How about Barnard?”

“And then time was up. There was the Governor on TV, announcing the containment zone. In the hours and days to follow, we would all defend the policy, including me at the City’s own press conference that same afternoon, the most pressure-filled experience of my entire service as Mayor. I still believe strongly that it was important for those of us in leadership positions to speak with a clear, consistent, confident voice — plus, in fairness, the idea of restricting large gatherings had real merit, and the details got straightened out soon enough. But at the moment of the announcement, I remember looking down at my ridiculous, crudely-drawn diagram, and thinking: this is nuts.”