Cathy Wallin, who awaited her son’s arrival from Florida, says the last time a family member traveled to Syracuse from Florida, the Traveler Health Form rules weren’t clear.
“She didn’t get one. So, she said who can I ask? How do I know what I’m supposed to do? She never got anything clear on that,” she said.
This week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced 22 states on the hot spot list, removing Delaware and adding New Mexico, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Cuomo also announced new guidelines, saying people who don’t fill out the form will be fined.
“You may also have to come to a hearing to complete mandatory quarantine,” Cuomo said.
Wallin says she hopes her son will receive more information on his flight from Florida to prevent these consequences, saying the table with no staff and a “completed form” box isn’t enough. When Wallin’s son, arrived, there was still no staff sitting at the table, but his Mom’s fears were soothed.
“Soon as we got off, they said there’s going to be a department out there, that they’re going to have you fill out a form and hand it back before you can actually leave,” said Brandon Strong, Wallin’s son, traveling from Florida.
Later, department of health employees staffed the table where travelers turned in their paperwork.
“In Philadelphia, they handed them out if you’re coming into New York they said just fill it out and handed in when I got here,” said Lydia Coker, traveling from South Carolina.
While travelers say, there was still confusion about whether they should fill out the form and even if they only passed through states on the list, passengers agree guidelines were clearer than before.
Travelers entering New York from hot spot states through other forms of transportation, including trains or cars, are required to complete the form online.