236 members of the New York City Police Department have coronavirus

Hundreds of New York City police force members have tested positive for the coronavirus. The NYC Police Department reported Wednesday that 197 officers and 39 civilians working for the department have tested positive, while 3,200 police officers, or 9% of NYC police, are out sick, according to CNN. The coronavirus has hit New York harder than any other state. State health officials have confirmed more than 30,000 cases of the disease in the state by Wednesday afternoon. New Jersey, which has the second-highest tally of cases, has reported about 4,400.

New York has reported 285 deaths related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out a plea for help on Wednesday for other states to donate as much aid as they could spare to help the struggling New York health system. Dr. Craig Spencer, the director of global medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, has been treating coronavirus patients in New York for weeks. Spencer warned Wednesday morning that New York was likely just the first state to experience strain on its medical system because of the coronavirus. "Everyone is doing everything they can to conserve supplies because we know we’re just at the beginning of this. And after New York will be New Jersey, will be New Mexico. This is going to be a marathon," he said. "We are not even at the beginning of this."

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National Guard to back up police efforts to enforce social distancing

National Guard personnel across the country could be activated on a state-by-state basis to help local law enforcement maintain social distancing and stay-at-home orders among the public, with the guard serving primarily as a visual force multiplier. Approximately 10,000 National Guard personnel have been activated across all 50 states, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia to assist at drive-through testing sites and to provide food and transportation to those who need it during the pandemic. Those forces or the thousands of new additions expected to be activated in the coming weeks could be shifted to deal with crowd management or security, but guard officials warned that it is not up to them but the states and local agencies who request their assistance.

In the case of social distancing, local officials would have to determine that too many people are outside or congregating in public areas. The Guard itself does not propose to the governor how it could respond to potential civil unrest or people refusing to heed social distancing calls — it waits for requests from state-based agencies who need its help. '“Typically, when the requests come in, it’s done through a formal process. It’s either like a county — another agency they’re requesting a specific capability,” said Maj. Kurt Rauschenberg, director of public affairs for the Maryland National Guard. “The capability could be anything — it could be logistics, transportation, providing food. When the requests come in, we have to analyze it and figure out, ‘Is this something the Maryland National Guard can support? Is it legal for us to support?’” Once the Guard accepts a request and makes a plan to fulfill it, the governor must take the final step of activating it.

National Guard Bureau Gen. Joseph Lengyel said on Tuesday that personnel could help with social distancing by appearing beside local police and sheriff’s departments. “The way that scenario most likely works out is, they would be matched up with some civilian law enforcement agency that had jurisdiction or control over some particular parts that they were concerned about. And they may need to augment that with National Guard members rather than need more people, or maybe the force of police officers became less available to the community,” said Lengyel. “They would take their direction on what they were going to do and tell the people from whatever section they were going to. That has not happened yet, but, when we do civilian law enforcement, we generally do it under the control and in support of the local legal authorities in whatever community we're working it.”

In one recent example of the Guard helping local police with social distancing measures, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser activated the Guard last weekend to control crowds outside at the Tidal Basin where dozens of cherry blossom trees were in peak bloom and thousands flocked to see the trees. Guard personnel stood next to Metropolitan Police Department officers, who blocked streets and entrances to the area. In Maryland, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has not issued a shelter-in-place directive, but he warned at a press conference on Monday that the coronavirus pandemic will worsen in the coming weeks and months.

Presently, 1,600 of the state’s 5,700 guard personnel are on duty. Rauschenberg pointed to the use of the Guard during the Baltimore riots in 2015, when they were brought in by local law enforcement for their presence. “The last time we brought out a guard presence this large — it’s no secret — was during the Baltimore riots, a very, very, very different situation,” said Rauschenberg.

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Christchurch mosque gunman pleads guilty to all murder charges

The Christchurch mosque shooter pleaded guilty to all charges leveled against him. Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in a mosque last year in an act of terrorism, pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one charge of terrorism Wednesday. The 29 year-old white nationalist will be held in custody until his sentencing, which is currently to be determined amid the coronavirus pandemic. He reportedly displayed no emotional reaction in the courtroom.

On March 15, 2019, a heavily armed Tarrant entered a mosque in New Zealand during prayers. Over the course of a few minutes, he opened fire on worshipers, killing 42 people. He then exited the mosque to begin shooting at others outside, killing an additional seven people. Another victim died shortly after being shot in the hospital. The 51st victim died 48 days after the attack. "While the sentencing hearing is still pending, today's guilty pleas are a significant milestone in respect of one of our darkest days," said Mike Bush, a New Zealand police commissioner. "I want to acknowledge the victims, their families, and the community of Christchurch, the many lives that were changed forever. They have inspired all of us to be a kind and more tolerant community." Bush later added that the gunman's sentencing was "New Zealand’s largest-ever criminal prosecution."

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Coronavirus outbreak may place New York lawmakers under quarantine

New York’s congressional delegation has several members that could fall under the federal government's prescribed 14-day self-quarantine period, along with others that have visited the nation's largest city. “You may have been exposed before you left New York,” Deborah Birx, the State Department doctor advising Vice President Mike Pence on the coronavirus task force, said at a White House press briefing Tuesday. “Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread to others.” New York City is the newest hot zone for the spread of the coronavirus infection. According to officials at the White House briefing, about 60% of the new cases in the country surfaced in New York and the infection rate was eight to 10 times higher than other parts of the nation. All 13 of New York’s congressional seats are held by Democrats.

The issue arises as both chambers in Congress consider a $2 trillion coronavirus economic recovery package, which is being debated amid conflict as to whether the House can pass the bill by unanimous consent or not. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, whose district covers Queens and the Bronx, has threatened to return to Washington during the House vote of the stimulus package and force a roll-call vote. If the vote happens this week and if she has been in the New York metropolitan area, she could be breaking quarantine.

Additionally, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose residence is in New York City, was in the capital this past week and last. The Washington Examiner sent requests for comment to both the lawmakers. “I think it's complicated. I think we have to figure out something so that the business of the nation gets done, but we have to also protect people. And so, you know, I think that they're going to have to figure that out,” New York Democratic National Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs told the Washington Examiner. “And I don't have any particular recommendation on it. Other than I think that, you know, this is a very complicated time.”

Other members of Congress in both chambers have already self-quarantined themselves and some, such as Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, Rep. Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat, and Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, have already contracted the virus. “Almost every member is speaking to their doctor and others for advice. There’s a number of members who are in quarantine. If a member thinks they are sick, they should self-quarantine if they’ve been around somebody from that perspective. We have members that are actually sick … We have members in New York City. If you are in New York City, you have to quarantine yourself 14 days," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told the Washington Examiner.

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