New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order mandating that hotels and other rental companies hosting visitors from restricted states sign a quarantine form before granting them access to rooms.
“This is going to be now a rule here in New York City because we have to get serious about the fact that there’s a real danger here,” de Blasio said Tuesday. “We have to confront it [and] we have the right tool to confront it, which is the quarantine, but now, people have to take that seriously. So this executive order would be another step to make clear to everyone how serious it is.”
A 14-day quarantine is required of visitors to the city if they travel from restricted states, such as Florida, California, and Texas.
“I understand that for some people, there’s an emergency situation, a family crisis, or something they have to do for business, and they don’t have a choice,” de Blasio said Tuesday. “But I just want to urge people that if you have a choice, if you’re going to travel, go to a place that’s not on the New York state list of states that are experiencing profound coronavirus problems. If you have a choice in travel, don’t go to where the problem is.”
New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito told reporters that those who refuse to sign the form could face a class B misdemeanor charge or even be committed to a hospital for the duration of the required quarantine, according to the New York Post.
“Noncompliance … is a crime,” he said.
New York City was the epicenter of the coronavirus earlier this year, reporting 23,634 deaths and 235,155 cases, according to the New York Times.
