Chief of NY Port Authority Has Coronavirus

The man helping New York and New Jersey limit the spread of coronavirus at airports and transit facilities will be off the job for the near future, at least in person. That's because Rick Cotton, head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has COVID-19 himself, reports the New York Post. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the news Monday, saying Cotton will be quarantined at home and working from there. Cotton's senior aides will be tested as well, and Cuomo acknowledged that he, too, "could have been in contact" with Cotton.

However, Cuomo called himself an "improbable positive" and said he has not been tested. Cotton "has been doing a magnificent job handling the airports," said the governor. Also Monday, Cuomo called the area of New Rochelle in Westchester County a "significant hot spot" for COVID-19, saying more than 100 cases have been confirmed there, reports CNBC. "Westchester is our problem," Cuomo said. He added that New York City has 19 cases and Nassau County 17. Cuomo said schools in affected areas could be closed "for a number of weeks." (More coronavirus stories.)