Governors tighten compliance for
domestic airport travel forms
Some interstate flyers must comply or face fines
AIRPORT VOICE, JULY 2020 17
BY JEFF YAPALATER
Governor Cuomo this week
stepped up the enforcement
for the Travel Advisory he instituted
with New Jersey and
Connecticut Governors recently.
On July 14, more strict
compliance measures were
put into place.
Specifically, the the governor
added teeth to the mandate
through a travel enforcement
operation at airports
across the state to help insure
travellers are following quarantine
restrictions.
-Enforcement Teams Will
Be Stationed at Port Authority
and Regional Airports Beginning
Tuesday, July 14th to Request
Proof of Completion of
State DOH Traveler Form
-New Electronic DOH Traveler
Form is Now Available,
Making it Easier and More Efficient
for Travelers to Complete
-State DOH Issues Emergency
Health Order Mandating
that Out-of-State Travelers
from Designated States
Complete DOH Traveler Form
Upon Entering New York
NYS State DOH has also
issued an emergency health
order mandating that all outof
state travelers from designated
states complete the
DOH traveler form upon entering
New York. Travelers
who leave the airport without
completing the form will
be subject to a $2,000 fine and
may be brought to a hearing
and ordered to complete mandatory
quarantine. Airlines
have all pledged to help make
passengers aware of the new
requirement using pre-flight
emails, pre-flight announcements,
in-flight announcements
and other methods. Additionally,
travelers coming
to New York from designated
states through other means
of transport, including trains
and cars, must fill out the
DOH traveler form online.
These restrictions are in
place to help contain the rates
of COVID-19 transmission in
New York State. As part of the
enforcement operation, enforcement
teams will be stationed
at airports statewide
to meet arriving aircraft at
gates and greet disembarking
passengers to request proof
of completion of the State Department
of Health traveler
form, which is being distributed
to passengers by airlines
prior to, and upon boarding or
disembarking flights to New
York State. A new electronic
version of the DOH traveler
form is now also available,
making it easier and more efficient
for travelers to complete
the form.
The first restriction went
into effect on June 24th when
the Governor announced a
joint incoming travel advisory
with New Jersey and Connecticut
requiring that all individuals
traveling from states
with significant community
spread of COVID-19 quarantine
for a 14-day period from
the time of last contact within
the identified state. Nineteen
states currently meet the criteria
for required quarantine
based upon a seven day rolling
average of positive tests in excess
of 10 percent, or number
of positive cases exceeding 10
per 100,000 residents.
“New York’s success in
fighting the COVID-19 virus
is under two threats: lack of
compliance and the virus
coming to New York from
other states with increasing
infection rates,” Governor
Cuomo said. “We have already
implemented a quarantine order
for travelers coming in
from states with the highest
infection rates, but we are experiencing
non-compliance
with the order that can lead
to outbreaks and threaten the
tremendous progress we’ve
already made. The State Department
of Health is going
to issue an emergency health
order today mandating that
out-of-state travelers complete
the DOH traveler form before
leaving the airport, and we
are launching an enforcement
operation at airports across
the state to help ensure travelers
coming into New York are
following this order.”
Enforcement teams stationed
at Port Authority airports
will be comprised of
peace officers from state agencies
and will be supplemented
by State Department of Health
staff and supported by Port
Authority police officers. The
enforcement teams will meet
arriving aircraft at gates and
greet disembarking passengers
NYS DOH workers handle passenger form submission surge
to request proof of completion
of the State DOH traveler
form. The Port Authority
will facilitate the physical set
up of enforcement area with
proper queuing and social distancing
measures taken.
Enforcement at Regional
Airports of MacArthur, Westchester,
Albany, Syracuse,
Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara
Falls Airports will have
enforcement teams on site
daily based on daily arrivals
from impacted states. Elmira,
Ogdensburg and Plattsburgh
Airports will have enforcement
teams on site based on
non-daily arrivals from impacted
states. The enforcement
teams stationed at these
regional airports will be comprised
of State DOH peace officers
and staff supported by
State Police personnel and
will meet arriving aircrafts at
gates and greet disembarking
passengers to request proof of
completion of the State DOH
traveler form. Each airport
will facilitate the physical set
up of enforcement area with
proper queuing and social distancing
measures taken.
States that currently meet
this threshold and whose passengers
need to be quarantine
are: Alabama
Arkansas, Arizona, California,
Florida, Georgia, Iowa,
Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana,
Minnesota, Mississippi ,North
Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada,
Ohio, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Tennessee,Texas,
Wisconsin, Utah.
The Port Authority response
to response to Travel
Advisory. Brief details:
The Port Authority has
developed signage that will
inform passengers about the
Travel Advisory. They ask
that terminal operators place
the signage in baggage areas,
ticket counters, gate areas. In
addition, they are asking airlines
to make announcements
in the gate areas and onboard
their aircraft when possible.
Port has developed signage to
notify passengers of the travel
advisory that are to be placed
in terminal areas including
gate areas, ticket counters,
and baggage areas. The decision
to provide announcements
at departure airports
will be left up to the individual
airline. With the exception of
essential personnel all others
will be expected to comply.
There is no CDC screening
at this time for domestic
flyers. A complete description
of the advisory can be found
here, https://coronavirus.
health.ny.gov/covid-19-traveladvisory
To file a report of an individual
failing to adhere to
the quarantine pursuant to
the travel advisory, please
call 1-833-789-0470 or visit this
website:
h t t p s : //my l i c e n s e .
custhelp.com/app/ask. Individuals
may also contact their
local department of health.
Karoline Rodriguez at DOH Covid collection form site at JFK T5.
/coronavirus
/coronavirus
/ask