New York state, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut, will mandate that travelers quarantine for 14 days if they’re coming in from states with high rates of COVID-19.
After saying for several days he was contemplating such a mandate, Gov. Andrew announced the joint travel advisory Wednesday with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
“It’s only for the simple reason that we worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down,” Cuomo said. “We don’t want to see it go up because a lot of people come into this region and they could literally bring the infection with them.”
New York was once the nation’s epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic, but now has some of the lowest rates of infection and transmission in the country. Only 1.2% of the more than 48,000 New Yorkers tested for COVID-19 Monday tested positive. Twenty-seven state residents died of the respiratory illness Monday.
“What happens in New York happens in New Jersey, happens in Connecticut,” said Cuomo, explaining why the three states issued the advisory together.
The three states will use an infection rate calibration to determine which states are considered to have high infection rates. The order applies to states where 10 residents have tested positive for every 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average.
States that currently have high infection rates include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington, Cuomo said.
Travelers caught violating the quarantine may be subject to fines of $2,000 for their first violation. They could be fined $5,000 for a second violation, as well as up to $10,000 if they are determined to have “cause(d) harm,” Cuomo said.
