Gov. Cuomo: NY rolling out changes to quarantine, testing rules for travelers arriving from out-of-state

Cuomo says the new rules do not apply to the neighboring states of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

News 12 Staff

Oct 31, 2020, 11:01 PM

Updated 1,505 days ago

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that New York is rolling out changes to its quarantine and testing guidelines for travelers coming to New York from out-of-state.
Travelers must be tested within three days of leaving for New York and they must test negative.
Upon arrival, travelers must quarantine for three days, then must take another COVID-19 test on the fourth day. If the test is negative, the person is released from quarantine.
New Yorkers who leave the state for less than 24 hours must get tested within four days.
People who choose not to get tested must remain in quarantine for the 14-day period.
There will be no quarantine list, there will be no metrics -- one rule that applies across the country," Cuomo said. But he says the rules do not apply to New York's contiguous states -- New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Dr. Frederick Davis, with Northwell Health, says, "Anytime you have more testing and being able to know for sure whether or not someone has the disease or not will be helpful, especially with this disease, where we know there's a large percentage of people that may be asymptomatic."
However, Dr. Davis says one potential hang-up to this new policy is access to testing.
"You really have to know where they're doing point-of-care testing to get testing done, as well as the turnaround time for these tests, because not all facilities are offering the point-of-care testing at this time."
Cuomo also predicted that the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday will cause a spike in the COVID-19 rate, citing travel, small gatherings and college students. "People think they are safe if they're with people they know," he warned, adding, "Just because they're your family doesn't mean they're safe from COVID... That's why I think these travel rules are going to be especially important."
If you're traveling, Dr. Davis says to make sure you keep wearing a mask, wash your hands and social distance.