New York City Orders Self-Quarantine for Overseas Visitors... 'In-Person Verification for UK Travelers'

Precautionary Measures Against the Spread of Variant COVID-19
US Government Does Not Announce Separate Measures for Arrivals from the UK

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] New York City is ordering all arrivals from overseas to self-quarantine amid concerns over the mutated novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). In particular, travelers arriving from the United Kingdom will be subject to in-person verification of their compliance with the self-quarantine order.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this policy during a briefing on the 23rd (local time). While New York City had previously recommended self-quarantine for travelers arriving from around the world without enforcing it compulsorily, the city appears to have changed its stance to implement stronger quarantine measures.

Accordingly, overseas travelers arriving in New York must submit their address and contact information to the authorities. The New York City Department of Health will send self-quarantine orders to the travelers’ homes or hotels.

New York citizens wearing masks Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Visitors from the United Kingdom will face even stricter regulations. Officers from the sheriff’s office will visit hotels or residences of those arriving from the UK to verify compliance with the self-quarantine. Violations will result in a fine of $1,000 per day. Mayor de Blasio urged the necessity of self-quarantine, stating, "We cannot take risks with travelers, especially those coming from the UK," and "Breaking the quarantine order endangers everyone living in this city."

This measure aims to block additional risk factors amid the start of COVID-19 vaccinations. New York, which suffered severe damage during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, is deeply concerned about the possibility of transmission of the mutated COVID-19 variant originating in the UK.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo previously demanded that Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and British Airways, which operate flights between the UK and New York, mandate COVID-19 testing for passengers. Unlike New York State and New York City, the U.S. federal government has not announced strengthened measures for arrivals from the UK.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.