NYC Will Serve Quarantine Orders To UK Travelers, De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — Travelers coming from the UK can expect a personally-delivered holiday present from New York City — a mandatory quarantine order.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday outlined stringent enforcement efforts to get holiday travelers to quarantine and slow the spread of coronavirus.

“We cannot take chances with anyone who travels, particularly people coming in from the UK,” he said.

The discovery of a new, apparently more-contagious variant of coronavirus in the UK prompted worry among officials. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently called on federal authorities to set restrictions on travelers from the UK to stop the variant’s spread to New York.

The fears come amid concern that holiday gatherings and travel will contribute to ongoing COVID-19 spike in New York City.

De Blasio told New Yorkers to avoid holiday travel unless absolutely necessary. He said international travelers who land in the city’s airports and out-of-state travelers already face a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

But starting Wednesday all those travelers will receive quarantine orders from the city’s health department, either by certified mail where they’re staying or personally from city sheriff’s deputies, he said. UK travelers will be receiving those personally-delivered notices, he said.

A special travel unit will also conduct door knocks to ensure compliance with the quarantine, he said.

“If you don’t comply with the quarantine that’s a $1,000 fine to begin, day one,” he said. “If you continue to not comply with the quarantine it’s a $1,000 a day for each additional day.”

Click here for more information on the state’s travel quarantine guidelines.