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NYC to have COVID-19 checkpoints at major bridges, tunnels: de Blasio

ADAM WARNER AUGUST 05, 2020 - 10:37 AM

FTA
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that New York City will have COVID-19 checkpoints at key entry points to New York City to help enforce the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers.

De Blasio said the new traveler registration checkpoints will be at major bridge and tunnel crossings to remind travelers coming from 34 impacted states and Puerto Rico about the mandatory quarantine.

“Starting today, we’re going to do something new in New York City: We will have checkpoints at key entry points to the city,” the mayor said.

“Travelers from those states will be given information about the quarantine,” de Blasio said. “They’ll be reminded that it’s required, not optional. They’ll be reminded that failure to quarantine is a violation of state law. And it comes with serious penalties. In fact, under certain circumstances, the fines can be as high as $10,000. So this is serious stuff.”

The checkpoints will be operated by the New York City Sheriff’s Office in coordination with other law enforcement agencies.

NYC Sheriff Joseph Fucito said the objective of the checkpoints is to remind visitors and New York residents returning to the city to follow the mandatory quarantine.

“We need to ensure visitors and New Yorkers returning home are taking the necessary precautions to limit the spread of this disease,” Fucito said. “The entire team will strive to ensure the deployment balances the critical public health and welfare needs of the residents of the city with the legal protections entitled to all people.”

Fucito said that “we’re not looking to target out-of-state residents.”

“In fact, what we’re looking to do is educate people who have spent time at COVID-19 hotspots, regardless of their residence when they come into New York,” Fucito said. “The only way to have an effective checkpoint is having a random component to it.”

“To avoid discrimination, it is so many vehicles,” Fucito added. “Let’s say, it’s every sixth vehicle or every eighth vehicle. We determine something in the beginning of the day, and we stick to that pattern throughout the day. And that is how the checkpoint would be conducted at different locations.”

Fucito said sheriff deputies would use their license plate readers to help them count vehicles to stop at random.

https://1010wins.radio.com/articles/nyc-to-have-covid-19-checkpoints-at-major-bridges-tunnels