NY lifts limits for international travelers
Visitors can skip quarantine and tests
ALBANY, N.Y. – New York lifted its COVID-19 quarantine and testing requirements for international travelers.
The move follows New York’s decision April 1 to end its quarantine on visitors coming from another state or U.S. territory.
“Asymptomatic travelers entering New York from another country, U.S. state, or territory are no longer required to test or quarantine as of April 10, 2021,” the state Department of Health announced on its website.
The state said that a quarantine, consistent with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, still is recommended for all travelers who are not fully vaccinated or have not recovered from COVID-19 during the previous three months.
New York is a hub for global travelers. It was the hardest hit state in the early months of the pandemic last year, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo contended the spread was due to travel from Europe to the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
As more people get vaccinated and COVID-19 cases dropped from postholiday season highs, New York and other states have loosened restrictions.
“One in four New Yorkers has been fully vaccinated, which is great,” Cuomo said Monday. “Thirty-eight percent of New Yorkers have gotten at least one dose. We’re working on more supply. Supply is the limiting factor right now. But our distribution network is up and robust.”
The state Department of Health warned that international travelers need to take precautions when returning from abroad.
“The travel guidelines require all New Yorkers, as well as those visiting from out-of-state or another country, to take personal responsibility for compliance in the best interest of public health and safety,” the Health Department said.
Here are some of the requirements for international and domestic travelers:
• Symptomatic travelers must selfisolate and contact the Health Department or their health care providers to determine whether they should seek coronavirus testing.
• All travelers must complete the Traveler Health Form unless the traveler had left New York for less than 24 hours or is coming from a contiguous state: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.
Irrespective of a quarantine, all travelers must:
• Monitor symptoms daily from day of arrival in New York through Day 14.
• Continue COVID-19 safety steps, including hand hygiene, social distancing and the use of face coverings.
To be considered fully vaccinated, two or more weeks must have passed since the traveler’s final dose, whether it is the single shot for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The CDC and New York recommend delaying international travel until the traveler is fully vaccinated.
International travelers must comply with CDC requirements, which include proof of a negative test or COVID-19 recovery to board airplanes to the USA.
For all unvaccinated domestic travelers, those who have not recovered from COVID-19 in the past three months are recommended to be tested three to five days after arrival in New York and consider quarantine (seven days if tested on day three to five, otherwise 10 days).
They should avoid contact with people at higher risk for severe disease for 14 days, regardless of test results, the state said.