New York City will begin establishing checkpoints at the city's key entryways to aid enforcement of a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers from nearly three dozen high-COVID-19 states.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that the new traveler registration checkpoints will be at major bridge and tunnel crossings to remind travelers coming from 34 impacted states, plus Puerto Rico, about the mandatory quarantine and the penalties for noncompliance.
De Blasio said the checkpoints began operation Wednesday morning.
"Travelers from those states will be given information about the quarantine," he said. "They'll be reminded that it's required, not optional. They'll be reminded that failure to quarantine is a violation of state law and it comes with serious penalties. In fact, under certain circumstances, the fines can be as high as $10,000. So this is serious stuff."
The checkpoints will be operated by the NYC Sheriff's Office in coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
Officials believe the congestion of the population in NYC puts it at particular risk of new coronavirus outbreaks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed that New York would not go back to enduring hundreds of COVID-19-related deaths per day, which was the case just a few months ago.
The travel advisory includes the follow states and territories, as of August 5, 2020:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
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