Cuomo Wants COVID-19 Passenger Testing at New York Airports
Joe Cortez August 25, 2020
To reduce the spread of COVID-19 and reduce quarantine requirements, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now calling for widespread testing for passengers at the state’s two busiest airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. The governor said city and airport stakeholders will work together to setup testing sites.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants what might be the most ambitious COVID-19 testing plan in the United States: arriving passenger tests at New York City’s major airports. In a press release, the governor’s office announced the plan for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to work with New York City Health + Hospitals to set up passenger testing sites at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia International Airport (LGA).
Testing Plans Nebulous As New York Removes States From Mandatory 14-Day Quarantine
The announcement comes as New York removed residents from five states off the COVID-19 travel advisory list. Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Maryland and Montana residents no longer have to shelter for two weeks upon arriving in New York.
Additionally, the state’s overall COVID-19 positivity rate has gone down, after 17 straight days with a rate below one percent. Although the work is encouraging, the governor notes that more must be done.
“Over the past couple of weeks, our infection rate has stayed below one percent. Congratulations to New Yorkers for their hard work in getting us to this point, but we must keep up that work and continue wearing our masks and socially distancing,” Governor Cuomo said in a press release. “Our progress shows that this virus responds to science, not politics. It’s a function of medicine and science and biology and should be treated that way.”
However, how these testing areas will be created and managed is yet to be seen. It is unclear if it will be offered to all inbound passengers, or just to those coming from a foreign nation. It’s also not stated if the tests will be mandatory for entry at the airport. In a statement to Fox News, the Port Authority said they are working with city and state officials to expand passenger testing opportunities.
“The Port Authority has been working with the State and City to find ways to expand testing at its facilities,” the authority said in the e-mailed statement to Fox News. “And we hope to see these testing facilities for both travelers and airport workers come online in the coming weeks at LGA and JFK.”
Current testing facilities exist at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and has recently opened to travelers as well. XpresSpa opened a testing location in June 2020, opened to airport and airline employees, with the capacity to process up to 500 tests per day. The company has since opened a second location at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), but its not clear if it is open to the public.
Testing Starts as Aviation Groups Call for Quarantine Alternatives
The new testing plan comes as trade groups and airlines ask governments to find ways to stop quarantines and re-open international travel once more. A group of airlines previously petitioned the U.S. government and European Council to find alternatives to quarantines, while a testing project at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is waiting for government approval to begin testing inbound flyers for the novel Coronavirus.
Does the state even have the right to regulate interstate commerce? I'm pretty sure the constitution assigns these rights to the federal government no?
Who would want to visit NY anyway (get shot, mugged, assaulted, or worse on the streets of Manhattan!!!!!)? If I REALLY needed to go, I would fly into EWR, and drive over the land border just north of Newark, and cross the TZ bridge back into Manhattan... just to avoid the stupid dictatorial rules. Cuomo murdered 11,000 people in nursing homes in NY state with his deceptive legislation requiring them to take in infected patients (for the sole purpose of boosting mortality numbers and making the pandemic look worse for the Trump administration than it really was). He should be brought up on charges, much less be ashamed of himself for turning around and punishing people from all over the country after his imposition of DPRK-style regulations and tactics. Our country is free no more with criminals like Cuomo in positions of power.
Cuomo put known virus suffers in to retirement homes, which caused many deaths. Cuomo should be ignored from here on out.