Colombia Cracking Down on Covid-19-Infected Airline Passengers; New York Now Imposes Quarantines on All Arriving from Colombia

Colombia’s national immigration authority (Migracion Colombia) announced late last night (October 5) that it has detected more than 70 international passengers infected with Covid-19 illegally arriving in Colombia since October 1.

“From October 1 to date, more than 70 foreign citizens have been inadmissible [to Colombia] for not complying with the legal requirements to enter the country,” according to Migracion Colombia.

Among the latest cases include a Covid-19 infected woman and her baby arriving October 4 on a flight from Cancun, Mexico, according to Migracion Colombia.

“Since the PCR [Covid-19 detection] test began to be required to enter the country on October 1, more than 9,000 national and foreign citizens have entered our national territory, and more than 70 foreigners have been inadmissible for failure to comply with the requirements to enter the national territory,” according to the agency.

“Airlines that have transported five positive cases for Covid-19 [are now facing] an administrative investigation, which could lead to a penalty of up to COP$12 million [US$3,130] for each one of the [illegal, infected] travelers,” according to the agency.

Meanwhile, Colombia’s civil aviation authority (Aerocivil) simultaneously announced October 5 that both Avianca and Wingo are now under investigation for illegally boarding several Covid-19-infected passengers on two different flights.

Avianca faces charges for illegal boarding of passengers on a recent Medellin-Bogota flight , while Wingo faces charges for illegal boarding on a Cancun-Bogota flight, according to Aerocivil.

New York Quarantine Restrictions

On a related front, Avianca announced October 5 that all Colombia passengers bound for New York now must pass new Covid-19 quarantine controls.

The announcement follows a New York Governor executive order restricting passengers from Covid-19 “high-risk” countries, including Colombia and El Salvador, Avianca noted.

“We recommend that passengers that can’t comply with the quarantine [requirements] abstain from traveling,” according to Avianca.

All New York-bound passengers from Colombia must now fill-out a New York Health Department form, available here: https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Welcome-to-New-York-State-Traveler-Health-Form.

“If you are entering New York state and have traveled from within one of the designated states or countries [including Colombia, then], you must quarantine for 14 days from the last day you were in a designated state or country,” according to the New York Health Department.

“Upon entering New York, if you are a traveler and do not have a suitable dwelling for your 14-day quarantine period, [then] you must find appropriate accommodations at your own cost.

“If you are a New York state resident returning from travel and do not have appropriate accommodations for quarantine, [then] please call your local health department: www.health.ny.gov/contact/contact_information/. For guidance on how to quarantine safely, visit: https://ny.gov/traveladvisory,” according to the agency.