[dropcap]F[/dropcap]earing a resurgence of coronavirus infections from outside the Empire State, New York City is setting up checkpoints to curb visitors from disregarding a state quarantine rule, while also threatening fines of up to $10,000 for non-compliance.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, who announced the plan on Aug. 5, said law enforcement personnel would be stationed at key entry points into the city to provide travelers information about the requirement to quarantine when traveling from a specified set of states.
“We’ve got… states now that have dangerously high infection rates, there’s a lot to be concerned about,” he said. “So starting today, we’re going to do something new in New York City.”
de Blasio said that under certain circumstances fines could be levied as high as $10,000. “So this is serious stuff and it’s time for everyone to realize it,” he added. “They’ll be reminded that failure to quarantine is a violation of state law.”
The state law, which was put into place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, on June 25, calls for those traveling or returning to New York from any state where the COVID-19 infection rates exceed 10%, over a seven-day average, to isolate for 14 days upon entering anywhere in the state. Those states are compiled on a list which is updated daily; as of Aug. 14, the list included 33 states.
Cuomo then put additional teeth into the law on July 14 when he required passengers of inbound flights to fill out a state Department of Health form providing their contact information and the location of their 14-day quarantine period. The form was also made available on the ny.gov website. And enforcement teams have been stationed at each airport throughout the state to ensure compliance.
Violators of Cuomo’s law are subject to $2,000 fines.
The restrictions stem from a rise in coronavirus cases in many areas of the country amid concerns over travelers bringing the virus into New York.
Last month, a cluster of COVID-19 was found in upstate Rensselaer County after three residents returned home from Georgia and tested positive. The virus was then transmitted to at least 23 additional people.
A cluster was also identified in Chappaqua in June after a participant of a drive-in high school graduation ceremony, who had traveled to Florida, tested positive for COVID-19 and was believed to have infected up to 27 others.
Dr. Ted Long, executive director of New York City’s test and trace corps, said that 20% of all new coronavirus cases in the city are from travelers coming from out-of-state.
However, New York continues to effectively manage its phased economic rollout without an uptick in cases. As of Aug. 14, the statewide infection rate stood at just 0.9%.
“Our numbers continue to remain low and steady, which shows this virus will respond to an approach based on science, not politics,” Cuomo said. “In order to protect this progress, we must keep up our efforts—we cannot go back to the hell we experienced a few months ago.”
CONTACT: chris@hometwn.com
