New York has exempted entertainers performing at the Video Music Awards on Aug. 30 from rules mandating that people traveling into the city from areas deemed high-risk must quarantine for two weeks.
Instead, singers, dancers, and musicians have agreed to follow certain guidelines such as limiting interaction with others to stagehands and cast members. Officers of the New York City Police Department will routinely complete “compliance checks” to ensure music stars are adhering to the regulations, a City Hall spokesperson told the New York Post.
“The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Citywide Events is working in close coordination with the production to ensure guidelines are being followed,” the spokesperson said.
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has mandated that travelers from states with a coronavirus test positivity rate higher than 10% quarantine for 14 days after entering the city. States that fall under the restriction include Florida and California where many of the VMA’s performers are living. Usually, people caught violating the mandate are liable for a fine of up to $10,000, or up to 15 days in jail.
A spokeswoman for Cuomo told the Post that the officials in charge of the VMAs and the performing artists have agreed to “rigorous safety protocols including testing and screening and compliance checks by a special compliance officer.”
Cuomo’s mandate applies to travelers from 34 states with limited exceptions. The mandate is not rigorously enforced, however, and many visitors to New York City can easily skirt by checkpoints. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered the sheriff’s office to control check points at most of the city’s main entrances, but deputies are functioning more as information officers handing out fliers than as agents enforcing health codes.
NYC Councilman Joseph Borelli called de Blasio’s attempts at enforcing the mandate “theatrics” since it relies almost entirely on the honor system, according to The New York Times. Airports are the only exception where travelers from out-of-state are forced to fill out a questionnaire or risk a $2,000 fine. Travelers by bus, train, or car are largely left alone unless they voluntarily approach a compliance officer for a form to fill out. Even after one has filled out the form, the 14-day quarantine is nearly impossible to enforce.
Brian Higgins, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and retired director of public safety, said that Cuomo’s mandate is toothless and likely will not deter many people from entering the city from designated hotspots.
“There’s an element of honesty and compliance on the citizens’ side that the police can only follow up so much on,” Higgins told NPR. “There are not enough cops, not enough officials — just not enough people to do this.”
Dan Feldman, another professor at the John Jay, said the large fines could have a deterrent effect even if enforcement is lacking.
“If there’s at least a symbolic effort, then you know you might be stopped, and if it’s a $2,000 fine, that’s not inconsiderable,” Feldman told NPR. “It’s a mistake to think symbolism and psychology are without impact. They do have an impact.”