NY to Collect Contact Information From Some Out-of-State Visitors

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the daily media briefing at the Office of the Governor of the State of New York in New York City, N.Y., on June 12, 2020. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an emergency health order that makes it mandatory for out-of-state travelers from COVID-19 hotspot states to provide their contact details to the state when they arrive to New York.

“Out-of-state travelers from designated high-COVID states must provide their contact information upon arrival,” Cuomo said on Monday. The order goes into effect on Tuesday.

New York state has the most deaths linked to COVID-19, the disease the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus causes, in the country. As of July 11, the state recorded 25,979 deaths among patients with the disease and Cuomo said the state is serious about enforcing the quarantine.

“If you fail to provide it, you will receive a summons with a $2K fine,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

Cuomo, a Democrat, issued an executive order on June 25 requiring travelers from 19 states to quarantine upon arrival in New York. These include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

Monday’s order requires enforcement teams to be stationed at all state airports. They will be present at the gates to collect the State Department of Health traveler form that is distributed on the flight.

“The State Department of Health is going to issue an emergency health order today mandating that out-of-state travelers complete the DOH traveler form before leaving the airport, and we are launching an enforcement operation at airports across the state to help ensure travelers coming into New York are following this order,” the governor said.

Cuomo said New York faces two threats: non-compliance to his order and people arriving to New York from other states reporting surges in the CCP virus.

“New York’s success in fighting the COVID-19 virus is under two threats: lack of compliance and the virus coming to New York from other states with increasing infection rates,” he said in a statement.

The decision comes at a time when the pandemic hotspots are shifting. New York City, which was considered the primary hotspot in the country for months, recorded no deaths on Saturday for the first time since March, according to preliminary data. Meanwhile that same day, Florida recorded at least 15,299 new cases, the highest number of new cases in a single day by any state since the pandemic started.

The travel advisory includes guidance on how to safely self-quarantine and the traveler form is also available electronically.