Cuomo To Out-Of-State Travelers: Fill Out Form Or Face $2K Fine

NEW YORK CITY — Travelers from coronavirus hotspots could reverse New York's steady decrease from pandemic epicenter to — for now — viral success story, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Monday.

Cuomo issued an emergency health order requiring travelers from states with high levels of COVID-19 cases to provide their contact information to officials when they arrive in New York.

Failing to do so could cost travelers big.

"If you leave the airport without providing the information, you will receive a summons immediately with a $2,000 fine," Cuomo said. "If you leave the airport without filling out the information, not only can you have a $2,000 fine you can then be brought to a hearing and ordered to complete mandatory quarantine."

NY is issuing an emergency health order:

Out-of-state travelers from designated high-COVID states must provide their contact information upon arrival.

If you fail to provide it, you will receive a summons with a $2K fine.

We’re serious about enforcing quarantine.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 13, 2020

It's not "pleasant," Cuomo acknowledged, but he described it as necessary.

New York, once the coronavirus' epicenter in the United States, has seen its case numbers steadily drop amid stringent stay-at-home, social distancing and mask wearing guidelines, Cuomo said.

But other states didn't learn lessons from New York, he said. Cases have surged elsewhere in the country, particularly in Arizona, Florida and Texas, and have surpassed grim records set during the pandemic's worst days in the Empire State.

Nineteen states currently are designated by tri-state officials as under travel restrictions requiring a 14-day quarantine.

Travelers from those states must fill out contact forms, which will be provided by airlines or available online, Cuomo said. The Port Authority will enforce the order in New York City's airports.