x
Breaking News
More () »

Ohio among new additions to New York travel advisory

Western New York leaders say the addition of Ohio to New York's travel advisory list will impact local tourism.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York's travel advisory has been expanded to include 22 states. Travelers coming to New York from those states are required to quarantine for 14 days.

Delaware has been removed from the list, but four new states have been added — one that's close to home. The new additions to the list are Minnesota, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Patrick Kaler, the president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, said he wasn't surprised by the announcement.

"When it comes down to it, we're all about the health and safety of our residents, our frontline workers, as well as our visitors," said Kaler.

Kaler also told 2 On Your Side that Ohio is the number three destination for travel to Buffalo. The impact is being felt across Western New York.

"I know here in Chautauqua County, as I drive through around the Fourth of July weekend, [I see] a lot of Ohio license plates," said PJ Wendel, the Chautauqua County Executive. "People have purchased property on Chautauqua Lake, around Chautauqua County. This will be detrimental to our economy."

He added, "We were hoping to really capitalize on those stay-cations, those people that will drive an hour or two and stay here in Chautauqua County, and a lot of those people were from Ohio." 

Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino told 2 On Your Side, "The addition of Ohio to the list, along with the continuation and extension of the border closing, it's kind of like a one-two punch today." 

Restaino added, "We know we're not gonna get a whole lot of international tourism for this season so we were really hoping that we would be more regional. So with Ohio being on the quarantine list, that sort of makes us have to change our calculus on how we're gonna get at this tourist season for the next two months."

At airports, travelers from the designated states will be greeted by enforcement teams to ensure they fill out the New York State Department of Health traveler form.

If they leave the airport without filling it out, they could face a $2,000 fine.

People traveling by other means of transport, including trains and cars, must fill out the form online, according to a department of health spokesperson.

Kaler said, "Before even their quarantine stipulations, we know that travel is going to be down anyway, but this just puts another hindrance to it."

He added that a normal tourism season likely won't be back until 2022 or 2023. Still, Western New York communities are hoping to salvage what they can of the remainder of the summer.

"People that rely on tourism, it's hard for us," said Wendel.

RELATED: 4 states added to NY travel advisory, 1 removed

RELATED: Report: U.S.-Canada border closure extended until August 21

Before You Leave, Check This Out