Since the CDC has stopped doing screenings, the states have had to step up. NY has instituted the following policy as of Sept. 28th:
Any travelers coming to New York State from a Level 2 or Level 3 country are ordered to mandatory quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. ALL international travelers are required to complete the DOH traveler health form. Failure to follow requirements will result in a $2,000 fine and will be subject to a hearing and ordered to complete mandatory quarantine. https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Welcome-to-New-York-State-Traveler-Health-Form This also applies if you land somewhere else and then drive in or take a train/other public transit. Apparently the requirement to quarantine for travelers from level 2/3 countries has been in effect since March, but filling out the online form is a recent thing.
If you are quarantining at a family home you and your wife wouldn't actually be seeing her family during the two weeks if you are following the correct protocols. Otherwise you'd be potentially exposing the people in that home to Covid. Coming in from the UK, you are presumed to have been exposed to Covid. The relevant regs are:
Shelter Requirements Precautionary Quarantine
- The individual must not be in public or otherwise leave the quarters that they have identified as suitable.
- Separate quarters with separate bathroom facilities for each individual or family group. Access to a sink with soap and water, and paper towels is needed.
- The contact must have a way to self-quarantine from household members as soon as fever or other symptoms develop, in a separate room. There must be a door that separates it from the rest of the living area and has its own bathroom. Given that an exposed individual might become ill while sleeping, the exposed individual must sleep in a separate bedroom from household members.
- Cleaning supplies, e.g. household cleaning wipes, must be provided in any shared bathroom.
- If an individual sharing a bathroom becomes symptomatic, all others sharing the bathroom will be considered exposed persons until the symptomatic individual is appropriately evaluated and cleared.
- Food must be delivered to the individual’s quarters.
- Quarters must have a supply of face masks for individuals to put on if they become symptomatic.
- Garbage must be bagged and left outside by the door of each of the quarters for routine pick up. Special handling is not required.
- Individuals should self-monitor for fever and other symptoms of COVID-19 daily throughout the duration of the quarantine period.
We were hit with quarantine orders at the end of August. We complied with CDC screening at Boston, and then drove on into NY. We assumed we'd be quarantining and had made plans to do so, but it was kind of startling to be served with court orders (via email) to that effect the day after we arrived.
The health tracers phoned each of us separately every day at our hotel room phone, at different times each day, to check to see if we'd developed any symptoms or needed anything (and, presumably, to see if we were there). On the good side, if you need anything they will put you in contact with support services that can get you, for instance, groceries delivered or medication. On the bad side, if you plan to quarantine in a hotel you can't leave the room even to go down to the ice machine, so you'd best find someplace that still has room service running or get a room with a kitchenette unless you want to pay through the nose for delivery.
https://abc7ny.com/new-york-quarantine-jersey-nj-states/6284542/ might also be helpful. There have been some clusters of Covid spikes in NYC and around the state in the last week and the health department officials are jumping all over them. I would think a Thanksgiving trip is probably not a very good idea, given things.
Best of luck.
