Coronavirus checkpoints to appear on bridges and roads in New York

New York has added checkpoints at some bridges and crossings ahead of Thanksgiving to help enforce quarantine restrictions. Violators of quarantine restrictions risk a fine of up to $ 2000. The edition writes about it The Hill.

Ahead of Thanksgiving, New York has stepped up public scrutiny in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Actions taken to do this include spot checks on out-of-state bus passengers. This was announced on November 24 by Sheriff Joseph Fucito.

Fushito said testing and tracking teams will be scattered throughout the city to direct people to testing sites and inform visitors about quarantine restrictions.

Earlier this month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new measures for travelers to test negative for COVID-19 before arriving in the state, and another directly in New York. This allows travelers to avoid a two-week quarantine upon arrival.

Violators of quarantine restrictions risk a fine of up to $ 2000, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned.

As a reminder, upon arrival at the airports, the Penn Bus Station and the Port Authority Bus Station, the city requires guests to fill out special forms and quarantine plans.

The strengthening of the response to the pandemic is in line with the increase in the number of new cases in the state over the past seven days (as of November 24 - 1476).

In this regard, officials are warning against travel on vacation to contain the spread of the virus. During the cold season, more and more people gather indoors, and in such conditions, the virus is easier to spread.

On the subject: New York Launches COVID-19 Tracking App: How It Works

Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the positive rate is 3,17 percent, higher than the rate at which face-to-face classes can be taught in schools.

Earlier, the mayor announced that the country's largest school system will be closed as the number of cases increases across the city. And on November 19 the city New York quarantined all schools due to the fact that over the past seven days, the proportion of positive tests for COVID-19 in the city has exceeded 3% - the standard set by the mayor's office for school closures.

Although the state governor has said in recent days that he will allow schools to reopen even if infection rates remain above 3%, provided that schools follow pandemic procedures such as testing. “The school is safer than the local community. Think about it. The infection rate in the community is 3%, Cuomo said. - Why do you want the child to stay at home. He will still go outside and end up on Wednesday with a 3% infection rate. "

Another measure aimed at slowing the spread of the virus is the launch of the Stay Safe Stay Home campaign. The launch of the campaign was announced on November 24, the newspaper writes. Gothamist.

In the meantime, lines for testing sites in New York are growing as many plan to visit relatives on Thanksgiving and want to make sure they are not sick.

Despite strong advice from public health experts to avoid travel, there are clear signs that many Americans still intend to visit loved ones. More than three million travelers passed through US airport checkpoints last weekend, the busiest weekend since the pandemic began in March. “It's not too late to cancel your travel plans,” said Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner, during a morning press briefing with Mayor Bill de Blasio at City Hall.

At least 12% of new coronavirus cases in the past four weeks have been travel-related, according to city health officials.

The mayor said Tuesday that the city had a seven-day test positive of 3,17%. The total number of new daily cases of the virus continues to rise, and the seven-day average of new cases now exceeds 1400.