New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) ordered hotels and short-term rentals to deny rooms to travelers from a list of 31 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands unless they fill out a questionnaire.
“In addition to civil penalties and monetary fines, you may be subject to civil commitment until you comply with these important provisions of law,” New York Sheriff Joseph Fucito said at a press conference, adding that his office was working with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to enforce De Blasio’s latest order.
“If you have a choice in travel, don’t go where the problem is,” de Blasio said. “For your own safety, for your family’s safety, for all New Yorkers’ safety, because of course if you go there, there’s a chance you bring that disease back.”
Starting Wednesday, new highway checkpoints will be set up at key entry points into New York City. Those who travel to hot spots states and fail to quarantine for 14 days upon their return are committing a Class B misdemeanor and could face a $10,000 fine. In addition, the new executive order also makes it a crime not to fill out the quarantine form.
Alaska and Delaware were recently to the travel advisory list for the tri-state area compiled by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
States are added if they have a high infection rate of 10 infections per 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average or 10 percent of the state's total population infected on a seven-day rolling average.
To date, the only states not on the list were Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and New York.