It’s not the welcome to New York that travelers are used to: Passengers flying from states now considered COVID-19 access points will receive a reminder of new quarantine rules to keep infection rates low.
“They just made an announcement in the Palestinian Authority about how New York says it is necessary to isolate if you come from Florida, but that’s it, it was just an announcement, nobody enforced it anyway. No paperwork, it’s just a service free for all, “said Nicolas Negron, who flew from Florida to JFK on Thursday when the mandate took effect.
It was imposed by Governor Cuomo and his counterparts in New Jersey and Connecticut.
Visitors arriving from states with a 10 percent positive test rate for coronavirus must be quarantined for 14 days.
It reflects the orders that other states imposed on New Yorkers at the start of the pandemic.
Negron said that when he arrived in Tampa a few weeks ago he was asked to complete documentation of his visit. That was not the case upon returning to New York.
“If you do not want or disagree with what is happening in society, no one is following up, no one is reviewing,” added Negron.
The governor’s office said it will enforce the 14-day rule by verifying flight itineraries and informing travelers of the quarantine, establishing highway checkpoints for drivers, and issuing fines to those found to be in violation.
Travelers who arrived at the La Guardia airport on Friday from Florida said they are not concerned about breaking the rule.
“I have a job and I have things to do. I am an essential worker. Many of the things I do are business. I live here,” said one traveler.
“I am not really worried, I have a very open vision about the virus,” added another visit from Miami.
Cuomo said states will be added or removed from the quarantine list as warranted by the test results.
It is all part of the effort to try to prevent the virus from returning largely to New York.
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