The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
N.Y. to end mandatory quarantine for US travelers
The new rule will go in effect April 1
NEW YORK » Travelers to New York from other U.S. states will no longer be required to quarantine starting April 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday.
Cuomo, who has been easing coronavirus restrictions amid calls for his resignation over sexual harassment allegations, said the two-week quarantine for domestic travelers will be recommended but no longer mandated. International travelers will still be required to quarantine, he said.
“New Yorkers have shown strength and perseverance throughout this entire pandemic, and it shows through the numbers that continue to decrease every day,” Cuomo said.
The Democratic governor said in a statement that New York is “winning the footrace between the infection rate and the vaccination rate, allowing us to open new sectors of our economy and start our transition to a new normal in a post-pandemic world.”
“As part of that transition, quarantine for domestic travelers is no longer required, but it is still being advised as an added precaution. This is great news, but it is not an all-clear for New Yorkers to let their guard down. To beat this virus once and for all we all must continue doing what we know works to stop the spread, including wearing masks, washing our hands and practicing social distancing,” Cuomo added.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said city officials were not consulted about the move to end the quarantine requirement, and he questioned its wisdom.
“I believe in local control, and here’s another case where New York City was not consulted even though we’re one of the biggest cities in the world and 43% of the state’s population,” de Blasio said at a virtual coronavirus briefing. He added, “Of course I have concerns about this.”
Dr. Jay Varma, senior health adviser to the mayor, said the city is still “at a very tenuous point” despite rising vaccination levels because highly transmissible variants of the coronavirus now account for more than half of new infections.
“So we do feel really strongly that it’s important for us to be as cautious as we possibly can, and we know that one of the ways to help reduce infection is to limit the amount of travel that’s going in and out of the city,” Varma said.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there were about 522 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in New York state over the past two weeks, which ranks second in the country for new cases per capita.
City and state officials have pointed to declining rates of hospitalization for COVID-19, however, as a sign of progress in emerging from the pandemic. Cuomo said the 4,735 people hospitalized statewide on Wednesday was the lowest number since Dec. 6.
Cuomo said New Yorkers “should wear masks, wash their hands and stay socially distanced to slow the spread and save lives as we work to defeat the COVID beast together.”
The governor’s office noted that regardless of quarantine status, all individuals exposed to COVID-19 or returning from travel must:
• Continue daily symptom monitoring through Day 14;
• Continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face coverings, through Day 14 (even if fully vaccinated);
• Must immediately self-isolate if any symptoms develop and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.