N.Y. to Require Covid Tests, 3-Day Quarantine for Visitors
The guidelines, effective Nov. 4, will replace the 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers.
(Bloomberg) --
New York State will require visitors to test negative for Covid-19 before arrival and quarantine for three days after entry before taking a second test on the fourth day, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday in a call with reporters.
The guidelines, effective Nov. 4, will replace the 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers from most of the country, based on New York’s travel advisory. It will apply to all states except for those neighboring New York, such as Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Visitors must continue to fill out a health form upon arrival.
The state launched the new rule because the current quarantine list has become “almost all inclusive,” said Cuomo on the call. “All the experts suggest we shift to a testing policy. There will be one rule that applies across the country.”
Visitors who choose not to get tested on the fourth day will need to stay in isolation for 14 days. The proof of negative tests, required upon arrival, must be obtained within three days of entering New York. The rule will be enforced by airports and local health departments in the state, which will validate tests if necessary.
New York residents, who leave for less than 24 hours, don’t need to take a test before returning to the Empire State, though they must take a test within four days upon arrival.
New York reported statewide positivity rate of 1.49%. Positivity rate in micro-cluster zones with higher infections, such as those in Brooklyn, Queens, and Rockland, was 3%, lower than the 7-day average of 3.1% in those places.
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