BUFFALO, N.Y. — More states have been added to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order requiring travelers coming into New York from areas with rising coronavirus cases to quarantine for two weeks.
With the upcoming Independence Day weekend, 2 On Your Side has received many questions about the travel advisory.
One of the most popular questions we've received is, which states will require me to quarantine for 14 days after visiting?
As of July 1, there are 16 states part of the travel advisory. Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina,Tennessee,Texas and Utah.
These states are considered to have significant rates of transmission of COVID-19. According to the executive order, this means they have a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 people on a seven-day rolling average.
Another question circulating, how will Governor Cuomo's travel advisory be enforced?
During a briefing Wednesday, Cuomo said airports will be monitoring people who fly into New York.
"We are working with the airlines for them to give passengers upon landing a slip where you have to fill out who you are, where you are, where you are coming from, where you are going" Cuomo said. "They'll be collected by the Port Authority and entered into a database. We will then do random checks off that database."
In terms of highway travel, Governor Cuomo said last week that law enforcement will help enforce the travel advisory. If an officer pulls someone over traveling from a listed state, they can find out how long they've been in New York and ensure they quarantine.
Another question, what do I do if I notice someone who is not quarantining that should be?
Wednesday, Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said you can report someone to the Erie County Department of Health if you suspect they have traveled and are not quarantining.
"On our website, there is a form where you can self-report if you have traveled, or you can out a neighbor or friend," Burstein said. "We need all the information so we can contact them, their full name, town village, city they live in to make sure they live in Erie County and a phone number so we can contact them."
As we are headed into a busy travel weekend, some people have asked, do I have to quarantine if I have a layover in one of the listed states?
According to the executive order, the travel advisory does not apply to anyone passing through designated states for less than 24 hours, which means if you have a layover you do not need to quarantine.