De Blasio announces NYC coronavirus checkpoints to make sure people adhering to quarantine rules

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De Blasio announces coronavirus quarantine checkpoints at New York City entry points

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces the city will set up checkpoints at major entry points throughout New York City for visitors arriving from coronavirus hot spots.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that the New York City Sheriff's Office will be overseeing coronavirus checkpoints to remind visitors to quarantine if they're coming from states hit hardest by the virus.

NYC HEALTH COMMISSIONER RESIGNS

"Starting today, we're going to do something new in New York City," De Blasio said at a press briefing. "We will have checkpoints at key entry points to the city. Travelers coming in from those states will be given information about the quarantine. They will be reminded it is required, not optional. They will be reminded that failure to quarantine is a violation of state law, and it comes with serious penalties. ... Fines can be as high as $10,000."

In this Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, file photo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, is shown with Dr. Oxiris Barbot, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

De Blasio praised New York state's mandatory 14-day quarantine that applies to travelers from states with high infection rates.

"We need to make sure that quarantine becomes stronger every day," De Blasio said.

The mayor's announcement comes just a day after the city's Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot resigned and criticized the city for keeping health experts in the "background" of coronavirus response.

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As of Wednesday, New York City had more than 230,000 positive cases of COVID-19 and more than 23,000 deaths, according to a New York Times analysis that includes probable coronavirus deaths.

Visitors to New York City from the following states will have to fill out a New York Department of Health traveler form and quarantine themselves:

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• New Mexico 
• Nevada
• Ohio
•  Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin