Orlando airport to have all passengers from Greater New York area screened by health officials upon arrival

All passengers arriving at Orlando International Airport (MCO) from the Greater New York area will be screened by health officials upon arrival, the airport said in a press release on Tuesday.

The move comes after Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Monday evening, saying anyone arriving from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey will be required to self-quarantine or isolate for 14 days or the duration of their stay.

“Anybody traveling from those regions in New York or New Jersey to the state of Florida is going to have to do a mandatory 14-day self-isolation,” said Governor DeSantis.

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MCO says they have about 45 daily direct flights from those three states.

“We support Gov. DeSantis’ order as a means to implement measures that promote the safety, security and health of our passengers and employees,” said Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “For our part, we mobilized quickly overnight to accommodate the executive order and are prepared to work with the Department of Health in screening passengers as they arrive in Orlando.”

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New York is a hot spot for the virus, and the governor says there are still 190 direct flights a day from that region to Florida. On Tuesday, cases in New York topped 25,000.

“I would reckon, given the outbreak there, that every single flight has somebody on it who is positive for COVID-19," DeSantis said.

To implement the new procedures, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault requested that airports provide space for the processing by Florida Department of Health officials in coordination with law enforcement officers who will assist. 

Airport leaders are currently coordinating with state health officials and the National Guard to finalize actions necessary to enforce the order.

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