Exactly How Is New York State Enforcing Its Travel Advisory?

There have been so many questions about the New York State Travel Advisory and exactly how it is, or isn't, being inforced.

I live in Pennsylvania but work in New York and have said over and over that, I'm so thankful that there's no travel advisory between New York and Pennsylvania because that would complicate things for people who live in the Southern Tier. Half is us live in Pennsylvania and work in New York and vice versa.

If there were to be a ban between the two states, I know that those of us who are essential employees would be allowed to travel between the states as the advisory does not apply to essential workers, but what about people who travel between the state lines for grocery shopping or for doctors, or even for church services?

According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, any New York resident who travels to one of the states listed on the New York Travel Advisory list, and who doesn't quarantine for 14 days, will face fines or even jail time. “You violate the quarantine, you will have to do mandatory quarantine, and you will be fined," said Cuomo. The governor also stated that if a person were found to have violated the order, they could be fined $2,000 for the first violation, $5,000 for a second violation, and $10,000 if the person causes "harm."

But, how is this enforced? It appears that there is no clear answer to this question if a person is traveling via any mode of transportation other than by air as the website for the office of the governor only mentions the presence of enforcement teams at "Port Authority Airports" and at "Regional Airports."

By air, if a person arrives in New York from a state on the advisory list and leaves the airport without submitting a contact information plan, they will be fined $2,000 and will be forced into a mandatory quarantine.

According to Spectrum News, William Duffy, New York State Police Albany director, stated that police are not going after out of state drivers, telling the news outlet, "In terms of specifically looking or targeting plates from out of state, we aren’t doing that."  Duffy continued, "A trooper couldn’t see a vehicle from Florida and pull them over to see if they’re in quarantine. That’s not a lawful traffic stop."

In other words, it comes down to the honor system when a traveler is entering New York after spending more than 24-hours in one of the states on the Travel Advisory list. However, there have been cases where a traveler hasn't informed the local health department of their travel or have not quarantined, and they've been turned in by others and have, ultimately, been placed under quarantine. What happens if a person is served with quarantine orders? This Order for Quarantine issued by the CDC will give you a better idea.

At the time of this publication, these are the states included in New York's Travel Advisory.

Alaska
Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
California
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
Montana
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Mexico
Nevada
Ohio
Oklahoma
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

You'll find an updated list of states on New York's Travel Advisory here.