Syracuse, N.Y. — New state travel guidelines that went into effect this month aim to slow the spread of Covid-19 in New York while also giving travelers a way to avoid 14 days of quarantine upon their return here.
But they also add some new requirements to local health departments, which are already dealing with an increasing number of Covid-19 cases, including in Onondaga County. It will largely be up to travelers and their employers to comply with the new executive order.
Under the new rules from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, travelers are required to get a Covid-19 test within 72 hours before leaving any state that does not share a border with New York. (One exception: if the person is gone for less than 24 hours.) Upon arrival in New York, they are then required to quarantine for three days, even if they have a negative test, and then get another Covid-19 test here.
The new requirements replace the so-called “quarantine list” of states, which grew to 39 states earlier this month. Travelers from those states were required to quarantine for two weeks, even if they tested negative for Covid-19.
Instead, an executive order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo allows travelers to “test out” of the 14-day quarantine if they test negative twice upon arriving back in New York. It also gets rid of the list of states and instead requires the two negative tests for every state that does not share a border with New York. States contiguous to New York include New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Local county health departments are tasked with enforcing the order. They learn a traveler has arrived in New York once that person fills out a traveler’s health form, which is what alerts state and local officials that a person has arrived in New York.
At airports, travelers are required to fill out the forms upon arrival. Those arriving in New York by other means — such as cars and buses — are required to download the form from the state website and fill it out.
A local attorney who studied the requirements is skeptical that local health officials can keep up with the new guidelines in addition to the contact tracing required. That said, travelers and their employers should still do their best to follow the requirements, which he thinks will limit the spread of Covid-19 here, he said.
Referring to the county’s latest spike in new cases, Adam Mastroleo of the Bond, Schoeneck & King firm said, “So now we’re going to be asking the county health departments not just to do contact tracing but to follow up with the new arrivals? I think that is an extremely heavy ask.”
The requirements carry a heavy penalty for anyone caught escaping quarantine early: a $10,000 fine and/or 15 days of imprisonment. That penalty has been in place since the early days of the pandemic.
However, Onondaga County has never imposed the penalty on anyone, according to spokesman Justin Sayles. The “formal process” for identifying travelers and enforcing the requirements has not been unveiled, he said last week.
“Once it is, we will of course do what we are legally required to do and ensure the public health,” he said.
The fact that the county has never imposed fines for anyone caught breaking quarantine shows how difficult enforcement might be, Mastroleo said, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it.
“I think that the travel quarantine requirement is the state trying to keep the numbers down,” he said. “We should comply. It’s an executive order which means it’s a law. You gotta follow the law.”
Contact reporter Patrick Lohmann at (315)766-6670 or PLohmann@Syracuse.com.