New York will mandate people from coronavirus surge states hand over contact info or risk a $2,000 fine

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
(Image credit: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is turning the tables.

Cuomo oversaw the state as it went through America's earliest and harshest COVID-19 outbreak, and was critical of other states' suggestions of banning New Yorkers from crossing their borders. But now that New York is on the mend, he's flipping that policy back on states that aren't doing so well.

In late June, Cuomo and the governors of Connecticut and New Jersey announced anyone visiting from one of 16 states with surging COVID-19 numbers would have to undergo a mandatory 14-day self quarantine. Cuomo expanded that guidance in a Monday press conference, saying travelers from those states will now have to fill out a form divulging their contact information or risk a fine of up to $2,000. The information will presumably be used for contact tracers and perhaps to enforce the quarantine.

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The provision is part of an executive order Cuomo will soon sign. When President Trump threatened to quarantine the tri-state area back in March, Cuomo called the idea "preposterous" and a "federal declaration of war."

Cuomo also unveiled an illustrated recap of the state's coronavirus response, which is full of inside jokes for avid Cuomo press conference watchers. Kathryn Krawczyk

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