With news of a second strain in the UK that has shuttered London, U.S. leaders are starting to take precautions. Experts predict that the second variant of the virus is reportedly 70 percent more transmissible than the original strain.
"We will have a new approach, given the new strain we're seeing there," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Effective immediately, he said, all travelers coming from the United Kingdom will receive an order directing them to quarantine.
#BREAKING: Mayor Bill de Blasio announces new "tough rules" for UK travelers: "We're going to have sheriff's deputies go to the home or the hotel of every single traveler coming in from the UK." pic.twitter.com/DDo7RfpkFZ
— The Hill (@thehill) December 23, 2020
To ensure that these visitors are following the quarantine, De Blasio said the city is taking some drastic steps.
"We're going to have sheriff's deputies go to the home or the hotel of every single traveler coming in from the UK," the mayor noted.
"We cannot take chances with anyone who travels," he added. And the penalties are pretty steep. If travelers don't comply, it's $1,000 for starters. If they continue to not comply, it is $1,000 for each additional day.
This appears to be in direct contrast to the advice administered by Dr. Anthony Fauci the other day. In light of the London lockdown, Dr. Fauci said we shouldn't "overreact" to the news.
Some social media users were put off by the seemingly tyrannical measure.
Welcome to the USSR
— Justin2 (@jjcavey2) December 23, 2020
Gee, that sounds like fascist tyranny!
— President-elect (@bdeviled) December 23, 2020
Whatever you say, Stalin.
— Denny Chad Halen (@DennyLoggins) December 23, 2020