Governor Cuomo Announces Travel Advisory for People Coming to New York from High Risk States

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a travel advisory for people traveling to the tri-state area from states with significant coronavirus spread on June 24 along with Govenors Phil Murphy and Ned Lamont of New Jersey and Connecticut. The advisory is for both people who want to leave the tri-state area and come back, and people who are coming to New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut from these states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North and South Carolina, Washington, Utah, and Texas. When you arrive in the tri-state area from any of these high-risk states, you must quarantine for 14 days. The advisory goes into effect at midnight tonight. Check back here for more updates about the advisory as they become available, and remember that the list of high-risk states can change.

"In New York we went from the highest number of cases to some of the lowest rates in the country—no one else had to bend the curve as much as we did and now we have to make sure that the rate continues to drop in our entire region," Governor Cuomo said in his announcement. "We've been working with our neighbors in New Jersey and Connecticut throughout this entire pandemic, and we're announcing a joint travel advisory that says people coming in from states with a high infection rate must quarantine for 14 days. We've worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down and we don't want to see it go up again because people are traveling into the state and bringing it with them."

The CDC issued a similar travel advisory for residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut back in March, when coronavirus spread here was the worst in the country. But now, incidence rates and community spread have slowed—New York’s infection rates and deaths have dropped dramatically thanks to social distancing—enough that tri-state area governors are more worried about people coming here from other states. Cases in Arizona, Florida, and Texas, for example, have blown up as restrictions were either relaxed  or never implemented as strictly as in New York. 

It is unclear how this travel advisory will be enforced. However, if you plan on traveling right now, consider which safety precautions you will take and where you plan to go. Taking a Day trip in New York might be the best option for your family right now so you won't have to worry about quarantining afterwards. Here's a list of where you can go berry picking in the area or reference our list of beaches and safety tips to plan a family trip to the shore. Make sure you pack hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes, and don’t forget your masks!