New York rolls out new testing requirements for visitors
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Saturday he was replacing New York's weekly quarantine list with testing rules for out-of-state visitors, requiring travelers to test negative for COVID-19 before and after arrival, per WABC-TV.
Driving the news: The number of recorded coronavirus cases surpassed 9 million in the U.S. Friday, according to JHU, with the virus gaining strength in 41 states, including nearly every important battleground state.
- New York recorded 2,049 new cases on Friday.
Details: Under the new requirements, travelers to New York must test negative for COVID-19 within three days of arrival. They then must self-quarantine for at least three days before getting tested again. If they test negative on the fourth day, they will no longer have to self-quarantine, WABC reported.
- Visitors must have proof of testing negative upon arrival to the state, Cuomo indicated.
- If visitors chose not to get tested, they must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
- Cuomo also said that under the new requirements, New Yorkers who leave the state for fewer than 24 hours must get tested within four days of that travel.
- Local health officials will enforce these rules at airports, Cuomo noted.
What he's saying: "There will be no quarantine list, there will be no metrics — one rule that applies across the country," Cuomo told reporters, per News 12 Brooklyn. But he added the restriction did not apply to those commuting or traveling from New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
- Cuomo told reporters that health advisors suggested the new rules would be more effective than the list of quarantine states since nearly every state was on it, per CNY Central.
- The governor also said he believed new infections will likely spike with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
- "People think they are safe if they're with people they know," he said, per News 12. "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."
Go deeper: A new round of coronavirus shutdowns hits the U.S. and Europe
