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Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled the new policy on Saturday, Oct. 31. It replaces the former 14-day quarantine list for travelers from states or territories with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average or an area with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. That quarantine policy had been in effect since June 28.
Neighboring states New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont are exempt. But New York is still highly discouraging, to the extent practical, non-essential travel to those states.
Essential workers will continue to be exempt as well.
The new protocol is effective Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Travelers covered by the guidelines are required to fill out a Traveler Health Form upon arrival in New York State.
In addition, New Yorkers traveling to non-neighboring states will have to quarantine for three days after returning and then test negative.
Those who get a negative test within three days before arriving in New York State for a stay of more than one day do not have to quarantine for three days.
Those who do not must present a negative test result on the fourth day or after arriving in New York to leave quarantine.
Anyone refusing to take a test after three days upon arriving in New York will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
"We have to come up with a new policy for quarantine," Cuomo said, "and I said last week that we were working with global health experts on a new policy and all the experts suggest we shift to a testing policy.
"And that's what we're going to do. There will be no quarantine list, there will be no metrics. There will be one rule that applies across the country."
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