California added to New York coronavirus travel advisory, Massachusetts meets criteria

ALBANY, N.Y. (WROC) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that California was added to the coronavirus travel advisory, which requires incoming travelers from areas of high infection rates to self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.

The tri-state travel advisory is a joint effort between New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, as part of a coordinated regional effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Massachusetts has reached the criteria for the advisory, but state officials say enforcing restrctions on neighboring states isn’t “viable.” A similar decision transpired last week when New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania met the criteria.

Meanwhile, state officials say they “highly discourage, to the extent practical, non-essential travel” between New York and the four aforementioned neighboring states.

So in total, 45 states and territories meet the criteria for the travel advisory, but only 41 areas would require incoming travelers to quarantine.

MORE | Gov. Cuomo announces incoming travelers from states of high infection rates must quarantine for 14 days

The full updated list of states and territories on the travel advisory is as follows:

1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
5. California
6. Colorado
7. Connecticut (non-essential interstate travel discouraged)
8. Delaware
9. Florida
10. Georgia
11. Guam
12. Idaho
13. Illinois
14. Indiana
15. Iowa
16. Kansas
17. Kentucky
18. Louisiana
19. Maryland
20. Massachusetts (non-essential interstate travel discouraged)
21. Michigan
22. Minnesota
23. Mississippi
24. Missouri
25. Montana
26. Nebraska
27. Nevada
28. New Jersey (non-essential interstate travel discouraged)
29. New Mexico
30. North Carolina
31. North Dakota
32. Ohio
33. Oklahoma
34. Pennsylvania (non-essential interstate travel discouraged)
35. Puerto Rico
36. Rhode Island
37. South Carolina
38. South Dakota
39. Tennessee
40. Texas
41. Utah
42. Virginia
43. West Virginia
44. Wisconsin
45. Wyoming

The travel advisory quarantine applies to any person that arrives from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average.

“We know COVID is spreading at increased rates in other states and New York state is not in a hermetically sealed bubble. The numbers are a reminder that COVID is still here and continues to spread in communities across the state, particularly when people choose not to follow the safety protocols in place to control the virus. We continue to see outbreaks linked to mass gatherings at houses of worship, at weddings and funerals, and other events where the virus can quickly spread,” Gov. Cuomo said in a press release. “Now, 45 states and territories meet the requirements for our travel advisory. We cannot let our guard down and risk going backwards in New York. It’s going to take the work of all of us to remain vigilant. Stay NY Smart — wear a mask, socially distance and follow the public health guidance. It’s there to save lives.”

People caught violating the advisory risk civil penalties ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, Gov. Cuomo said earlier this summer.

MORE | New York’s incoming traveler advisory explained, Gov. Cuomo says ‘it’s like any other law’

There are exceptions to the quarantine travel advisory rules: Essential workers are exempt and stays of less than 24 hours in an area wouldn’t constitute enforcement.

For more information on the travel advisory, visit this New York state website.

Tuesday’s coronavirus data is summarized briefly below:  

• Patient Hospitalization – 1,083 (+24)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 110
• Hospital Counties – 47
• Number ICU – 233 (-4)
• Number ICU with Intubation – 120 (+2) 
• Total Discharges – 79,230 (+68)
• Deaths – 15 
• Total Deaths – 25,758

The governor’s office says that the positive testing rate in the hotspot clusters was 3.65%, while areas outside the hotspot clusters saw a positive testing rate of 1.53%.

Overall, the state conducted 111,618 tests Monday, with 1,991 new positive cases, for an overall positive test rate of 1.78% statewide.

Each region’s percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:  

REGION	SATURDAY	SUNDAY	MONDAY
Capital Region	0.8%	1.5%	1.3%
Central New York	1.2%	1.4%	2.2%
Finger Lakes	1.7%	2.3%	1.7%
Long Island	1.3%	1.2%	1.6%
Mid-Hudson	1.9%	2.4%	2.2%
Mohawk Valley	0.6%	0.7%	1.1%
New York City	1.4%	1.4%	1.7%
North Country	1.5%	1.4%	0.9%
Southern Tier	1.3%	1.0%	2.0%
Western New York	1.3%	1.3%	2.6%