Trump is considering imposing a quarantine on New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was considering imposing a mandatory quarantine on the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in order to prevent the further spread of the virus to other states in the US.

"We'd like to see New York quarantined because it's a hotspot - New York, New Jersey, maybe one or two other places, certain parts of Connecticut quarantined," Trump told reporters at a press gaggle on Saturday. "We might not have to do it, but there's a possibility that sometime today we'll do a quarantine - short term two weeks for New York, probably New Jersey and parts of Connecticut."

The state of New York is currently dealing with the worst of the outbreak nationwide and has been called the new epicenter of the virus, which has now infected more people in the US than any other country in the world.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, New York currently has more than 46,000 cases in the state. New Jersey is second in the nation with more than 8,000 cases. California is in third with more than 4,800 cases, though reports did not suggest the president indicated he was interested in imposing new restrictions on California.

States across the country, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have placed residents on "stay at home" orders, requiring that only essential personnel le

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government obtains its power to both isolate and quarantine citizens under the authority given by the commerce clause of the US constitution.

"Under section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S. Code § 264), the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to take measures to prevent the entry and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States and between states," the CDC said on its website.

The CDC said such isolation or quarantine measures would require an executive order from the president.

At a press conference about the virus on Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he had not talked with the president about a quarantine. Cuomo said he wasn't sure what such a measure would look like or be legally enforceable.

"From a medical point of view, I don't even know what you'd be accomplishing," Cuomo said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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