Interview and California Quarantine

[NotMoreForms 68]

I have my interview finally scheduled for April 7in California.  I shall have to travel out of state in late March.  The 7th will be the day I get out of the 10 day "California recommended quarantine".  The interview letter only mentions out of USA travel.  Does anyone know if the 10 day quarantine is sufficient before the interview, or do they have some other rule for out of state travel?  Would having a Covid test help?

 

[Boiler 45,673]

The Important word is recommended.

 

I know people who travel to and from CA and none of them has mentioned quaranteening.

 

The other factor is that Immigration is Federal and there are no Federal requirements.

 

 

[NotMoreForms 68]

37 minutes ago, Boiler said:

The other factor is that Immigration is Federal and there are no Federal requirements.

 

This is the source of my confusion.  I don't know what each office does.  Do they follow a Federal rule, the CDC recommendation, the state rule or some combination of the three.  I assume I need to meet the California rule, but maybe the USCIS don't care.

[Boiler 45,673]

2 minutes ago, NotMoreForms said:

 

This is the source of my confusion.  I don't know what each office does.  Do they follow a Federal rule, the CDC recommendation, the state rule or some combination of the three.  I assume I need to meet the California rule, but maybe the USCIS don't care.

Rules and recommendations are not the same thing.

 

There seems to be no rule.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

45 minutes ago, NotMoreForms said:

 

This is the source of my confusion.  I don't know what each office does.  Do they follow a Federal rule, the CDC recommendation, the state rule or some combination of the three.  I assume I need to meet the California rule, but maybe the USCIS don't care.

The fact that the letter talks about travel out the country and not out of the state is your big hint there. No, there is no requirement to quarantine. They will take your temperature and ask you the usual list of covid-risk questions when you enter.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

They have quite detailed covid guidance in the letter, one can assume that if they wanted you to have quarantined /stay out of their way for two weeks after domestic travel they would have said so along with the other bits. The bit I have bolded seems to be the issue for the appointment. 

 

 

To ensure visitor and employee health and safety, please pay special attention to the sections entitled, "COVID-19 Safety Precautions" and "Who should come with you?"

YOU MUST APPEAR FOR THIS INTERVIEW - However, if you are ill, have any symptoms of illness, have traveled outside the United States within the past two weeks or had contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 within the past two weeks, or are at heightened risk due to age or an underlying health condition, call the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833) as soon as possible to reschedule your appointment. There is no penalty for requesting that your appointment be rescheduled.

 

COVID-19 Safety Precautions - To ensure the health and safety of all who enter USCIS offices, you must take the following safety precautions when arriving for your interview:

• DO NOT arrive more than 15 minutes prior to your interview time. You will not be permitted entry into the office until 15 minutes before your interview.

• You and anyone permitted to come with you to your interview (as explained in the section, "Who should come with you?" below) must wear a face covering that covers the mouth and nose.

• Bring a black or blue ink pen with you to your interview.

Edited March 4, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[NotMoreForms 68]

Thanks SusieQQQ.  That was my reading but I have had a LOT of trouble with government rules around COVID.  That has made me rather sensitive to possible issues .

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

1 minute ago, NotMoreForms said:

Thanks SusieQQQ.  That was my reading but I have had a LOT of trouble with government rules around COVID.  That has made me rather sensitive to possible issues .

In California or? They seem to be so seldom enforced even when they have been “mandatory”. 

[NotMoreForms 68]

Just now, SusieQQQ said:

In California or? They seem to be so seldom enforced even when they have been “mandatory”. 

Yes in California.  The company I work for does some work with the Navy.  We were classed as "essential for the security of the nation", and placed under some really crazy restrictions.  Originally I was not allowed to leave the county and had to get special permission to go home as I lived just over the county border.  I am not kidding here.  If I ran out of milk I had to travel back into work's county because the only place I was allowed to travel was between the county border and my home.  And that's just one rule.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

4 minutes ago, NotMoreForms said:

Yes in California.  The company I work for does some work with the Navy.  We were classed as "essential for the security of the nation", and placed under some really crazy restrictions.  Originally I was not allowed to leave the county and had to get special permission to go home as I lived just over the county border.  I am not kidding here.  If I ran out of milk I had to travel back into work's county because the only place I was allowed to travel was between the county border and my home.  And that's just one rule.

Were those company restrictions or navy restrictions? Definitely not general state stuff. Saw way too many people driving all over the state all along... no one ever seemed to get fined or anything even

[Boiler 45,673]

Friend of mine in CA has been to Mexico twice, Colorado, NY, Georgia and probably a few other places, even did a land crossing into Mexico which I do not think was possible.

[NotMoreForms 68]

1 hour ago, SusieQQQ said:

Were those company restrictions or navy restrictions? Definitely not general state stuff. Saw way too many people driving all over the state all along... no one ever seemed to get fined or anything even

Definitely not state stuff.  Could be Navy, US Government, or someone in the chain between them and us.  The crazy things is I work for a small commercial company.

[NotMoreForms 68]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

Friend of mine in CA has been to Mexico twice, Colorado, NY, Georgia and probably a few other places, even did a land crossing into Mexico which I do not think was possible.

It is certainly easy enough to travel, even overseas until recently.  The problem is that Government departments have a tendency to enforce sometimes arbitrary rules, or become overly cautious about things.  What I don't want to happen is that I turn up for the interview and the security guard does not let me in because I answered yes to some question which I had no prior knowledge of.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

1 hour ago, NotMoreForms said:

Definitely not state stuff.  Could be Navy, US Government, or someone in the chain between them and us.  The crazy things is I work for a small commercial company.

But not Uscis for sure.

[HRQX 4,145]

3 hours ago, Boiler said:

even did a land crossing into Mexico which I do not think was possible.

Is your friend either a US citizen or LPR? If so, it's automatically considered "essential travel": https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/23/2021-03776/notification-of-temporary-travel-restrictions-applicable-to-land-ports-of-entry-and-ferries-service

travel through the land ports of entry and ferry terminals along the United States-Mexico border shall be limited to “essential travel,” which includes, but is not limited to—

• U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States;