Not only are Americans banned from visiting most of Europe, but we’re increasingly seeing domestic travel restrictions as well, as many states see a surge in coronavirus cases.
In late June New York announced a travel quarantine, and that has now been modified once again. On top of that, we’re seeing some coronavirus checkpoints being set up in New York City.
Tri-state 14-day quarantine requirement
First let’s recap the initial policy. On June 24 it was announced that travelers arriving in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, from regions with high COVID-19 infection rates, would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine.
BREAKING: NY, NJ, CT governors announce joint travel advisory.
"People coming from states that have a high infection rate must quarantine for 14 days," Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces. https://t.co/OFaLSn3tPa pic.twitter.com/BHluIiB1Da
— ABC News (@ABC) June 24, 2020
A few months ago New York had among the highest cases of coronavirus, with some days seeing more than 10,000 new cases. At this point New York is consistently down to fewer than 1,000 cases per day, while states like Florida are seeing more cases than ever before.
As Governor Cuomo explained this move at the time:
“We worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down. We don’t want to see it go up because a lot of people come into this region and they can literally bring the infection with them.”
The reason all three states introduced this policy at the same time is because “what happens in New York happens in New Jersey and happens in Connecticut.”
While many may wonder about the implications of this on the economy, this all comes on the heels of a major economic study that determined that state reopenings have done little to boost the economy. Rather the bigger issue is that more needs to be done to restore safety and consumer confidence, in order for people to spend more.
34 states now subjected to quarantine
The 14-day quarantine requirement is based on the number of new cases per 100,000 residents in states over the past seven days. The list:
- Initially had just nine states on it
- Then we saw the list expanded to 22 states
- Then we saw the list expanded to 31 states
- Then it was expanded to 34 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington DC
Well, the list has now been modified again — Delaware and Washington DC have been removed from the list, while Rhode Island has been added.
In addition to Puerto Rico, the quarantine requirement now applies to the following 34 states:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
The constant updates of states sure makes it impossible to plan future travel there, since you don’t know if you’ll be subjected to a 14-day quarantine or not.
New York City adds coronavirus checkpoints
As you’d expect, enforcement of this quarantine requirement has been a real challenge. While New York has threatened fines of up to $10,000 for breaking the quarantine requirement, at least up until last week the state hadn’t actually issued any fines.
Those flying into New York have to fill out a form sharing their information and where they’ll be staying. New York has threatened to fine people $2,000 if they don’t fill out that form.
At least New York City is now adding another layer to this. New York City is setting up “traveler registration checkpoints” at bridges and tunnels. This isn’t quite as strict as it sounds, though. Some cars may be stopped, and passengers will simply be reminded of the quarantine rules — it sounds like there won’t actually be any enforcement.
While May0r Bill de Blasio announced the plan last night, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wasn’t informed of the plans at the time, so we’ll see how this works out.
Bottom line
Since late June, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, have been requiring a 14-day quarantine for visitors from states with high COVID-19 infection rates. The travel list now includes 34 states plus Puerto Rico.
There’s a threat of a $2,000 fine for not filling out the form sharing contact information when arriving in the state. New York City is now also setting up checkpoints at bridges and tunnels so travelers can be reminded of the quarantine rules, though it sounds like there won’t actually be much enforcement going on there.
What do you make of this tri-state 14-day quarantine?
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