Cuomo not scrapping travel quarantine rule

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The CDC has lifted its directive advising Americans to self-quarantine for 14 days after traveling.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested that the state’s travel advisory won’t be scrapped anytime soon.
• New Jersey and Connecticut also still have the 14-day self-quarantine orders in effect for people traveling from 35 states and territories

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lifted its directive advising travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The previous advice applied to travelers coming from states with a high rate of COVID-19 cases.

However, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut still have no plans to scrap their 14-day mandatory quarantines on travelers arriving from states with high or increasing coronavirus cases.

On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicated that the state’s travel guideline won’t be scrapped anytime soon.

“The pandemic is not over,” Cuomo said.

But he announced that five states — Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Maryland and Montana — have been removed from the state’s travel advisory to quarantine.

Cuomo, however, added Guam to the list of domestic COVID-19 travel restrictions to New York, which includes 30 other states and US territories.

The CDC may have lifted the directive for self-quarantining for travel, but it indicated that travelers should “follow state, territorial, tribal and local recommendations or requirements after travel.”

Council Member Joseph Borelli said it’s time for New York to ditch the quarantine on domestic travel from much of the US.

“The quarantine is illogical and irrelevant. It’s only serving to undermine New York’s recovery,” said the Republican city lawmaker, who just traveled back from Maryland.

He added that the quarantine edict is “unenforceable and therefore pointless” and is “hurting tourism, hurting business and discouraging family visitation.”

The infection rate in New York as of Sunday was 0.66 percent — the lowest since the pandemic started.

In a press release Tuesday, Cuomo defended New York’s travel advisory as it helps control COVID-19 in the state.

“New Yorkers made enormous sacrifices to get our numbers as low as they are today, and we don’t want to give up an inch of that hard-earned progress,” Cuomo said.

“While it’s good news that five states have been removed from the travel advisory, the list remains far too long as America continues to struggle with COVID-19. New Yorkers should stay vigilant and be careful — wear a mask, socially distance, and be smart. This pandemic is not over.”

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center recorded New York’s coronavirus death toll at 32,887, the highest death total in the US.

Source: New York Post