What Are Your Rights? New York State Travel Advisory And The Holidays

Recorded on October 21, 2020.

The holiday season is approaching but we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, with more than half of the country’s states listed as restricted in terms of traveling from New York. Many are left wondering if they will be able to spend the holidays with family. What happens to those who travel and then try to reenter New York? Attorney Paul Harding of Martin, Harding & Mazzotti discusses the issue on CBS6.

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Man: The following segment is sponsored by Martin, Harding & Mazzotti.

Interviewer: The holiday season is approaching but we’re still in the middle of a pandemic with more than half of the country states now listed as restricted in terms of traveling from New York. We’re left wondering if we’ll be able to spend the holidays with family. What happens to those who travel and then try to reenter New York? Here to help discuss the issue is managing partner Paul Harding from the law firm of Martin, Harding & Mazzotti. Paul, welcome back.

Paul: Good to be here. Thank you.

Interviewer: We will jump back right into it. So if I live in New York and a state I wanna visit is placed on this advisory, this restricted list, does that mean I can’t go there?

Paul: You can go there. In fact, they’re saying you can go anywhere you want in the country. The question is when you come back, are you gonna have to quarantine for 14 days? So if that state that you were visiting for more than 24 hours is on that list, 14-day quarantine.

Interviewer: Kind of driving through or stopping in one of these restricted states just briefly?

Paul: Yeah. So the letter of the law basically says, listen, if you are on quarantine, you are restricted from seeing anyone. They even look in your family, right. Do you have two restrooms? So this is gonna be your restroom, the rest of your family’s here. Can you be in the basement if you have a two-floor home? But stay isolated even from them.

Don’t go out and get food. Don’t go anywhere. But the 24-hour rule is really interesting. It basically says if you go to a state for less than 24 hours, even though it’s a restricted state, you can come back and not quarantine. The rule’s a little fuzzy and, you know, I’m sure there’s a way to strategize around that that maybe people have done, but the rule says 24 hours.

Interviewer: Okay. So that 24-hour window. So how does the state track people who travel to restricted states and what happens if a person just refuses so quarantine or abide by the requirements of the executive order?

Paul: Yeah. So the Department of Health has you fill out a form that you fill out, say I was there. Now you’re on the list and the tracers are gonna track you down and do all that. But if you decide, “Look, this isn’t for me. I don’t wanna be that person. I’m not gonna comply,” the fines are really high, anywhere between $2,500 and $10,000 enforceable by the State of New York.

Interviewer: All right, Paul. Well obviously a very developing topic, especially as we approach the holidays. Thanks so much for your time today.

Paul: You’re welcome.

Interviewer: And for more information on what are your rights and the segment that we do weekly, be sure to visit our website, cbs6albany.com.

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