Area airport signs warn Sun Belters

Welcome to New York — but you should have stayed where you were.

Travelers from coronavirus hotspots arriving at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports were confronted Thursday with signs hinting that they shouldn’t be in the New York area.

The new digital signs advertise a “travel advisory” aimed at people coming in from Florida, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Utah and the Carolinas, where coronavirus cases are on the rise.

The signs tell travelers to visit the state Department of Health’s website for more information. The signs don’t tell travelers that they must selfquarantine.

“The list of designated states is based upon a seven day rolling average of positive tests in excess of 10%, or number of positive cases exceeding 10 per 100,000 residents,” say the signs, which display a map showing the afflicted states in a menacing shade of red.

The new signage went up a day after Gov. Cuomo joined N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy and Conn. Gov. Ned Lamont to require anyone who comes from states where COVID-19 cases are rapidly rising to isolate.

Aircraft flight crews on Thursday also began to remind travelers of the restrictions. When travelers get off the plane, they’ll be reminded once again by announcements at gates, Cuomo administration officials said.

Those who book flights to New York will also receive emails from their airlines about the quarantine requirements, officials said.

Signs and announcements were also installed at Penn Station, which handles Amtrak trains from out of state, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

“We worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down,” Cuomo said Wednesday in announcing the restrictions. “We don’t want to see it go up because a lot of people come into this region and they can literally bring the infection with them.”

It’s still unclear how the quarantine requirement will be enforced. Cuomo’s executive order issued Wednesday said travelers could be fined up to $10,000.