New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday said officials will track people flying into New York and conduct random checks to make sure they are where they’re “supposed to be” in light of new quarantine rules for visitors from coronavirus “hot spots.”
“You fly into New York — we’ll have your name. We’ll know where you’re supposed to be staying,” Mr. Cuomo said on CNN. “There [will] be random checks. You’ll get pulled over by a police officer and he looks at your residence and says, ’How long have you been here?’ “
Mr. Cuomo said there will be inspectors who will be “randomly” looking at “names on the list and calling to follow up to make sure you’re quarantining.”
“And if you’re not, then you’re in violation of the law, and you will have a mandatory quarantine, and you’ll be fined,” he said. “I think most people are going to honor it.”
Mr. Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday announced that people traveling from states with significant transmissions of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, have to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas.
“You get sick, you go to a hospital from out of state and you test positive and you’ve been within the 14 days — you violated the law. You’re going to have a problem,” Mr. Cuomo said.
He suggested people could skirt the law if they’re careful, likening the situation to speeding or drunken driving.
“It’s like any other law … you can speed in your car and if you don’t get caught you’re fine,” he said. “You can drink too much and get in a car and drive home, and if you don’t get caught you’re fine.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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