New Yorkers Could Be Fined After Travel to Over 60% of U.S.

New York's travel advisory now includes 31 states. Violators face fines or even jail.

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced 10 more states meet the metrics to qualify for the travel advisory, requiring individuals who have traveled to New York from those states, all of which have significant community spread, to quarantine for 14 days.

The newly-added states are Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia and Washington. The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

"As infection rates increase in 41 other states, our numbers continue to steadily decline, thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers and our incremental, data-driven opening. Yesterday, we had our lowest death toll since the pandemic began - and with no fatalities in New York City. While today's numbers are encouraging, we must remain vigilant," Cuomo said. "We are adding 10 states to the travel advisory - individuals coming from Alaska, Indiana, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia and Washington must quarantine for 14 days.

The full, updated list of states on the travel advisory is below:

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

The travel advisory also requires any New Yorker to quarantine for 14 days after returning from a state on the quarantine list.

Anyone found violating the quarantine will be subject to a judicial order, placed in a mandatory quarantine and fined, Cuomo added.

“You violate the quarantine, you will have to do mandatory quarantine, and you will be fined," Cuomo said.

According to Cuomo, a person found violating the order could be fined $2,000 for the first violation, $5,000 for a second violation and $10,000 if the person causes "harm."

Cuomo recently announced a travel enforcement operation started at airports across the state to help ensure travelers are following the state's quarantine restrictions and to help contain the rates of COVID-19 transmission in New York State.

Cuomo confirmed travelers will be fined $2,000 if they leave an airport without submitting a contact information form. Information on the form includes contact information and travel plans while in New York. The forms will be handed out online, but can also be filled out online.

The travel advisory doesn't impact essential workers, officials say. Officials also note if you are only passing through a state on the list, meaning you aren't spending more than 24 hours, you also don't have to quarantine.