Albany, N.Y. — Massachusetts qualified this week to be added to New York’s coronavirus quarantine list, but like other border locations before it, the quarantine policy won’t be enforced on travelers from the state.
The only state to be officially added to New York’s quarantine list this week was California. No areas were removed.
The full list now includes 41 states and territories: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Travelers from those locations must self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New York. That includes New Yorkers returning home from those areas.
The state began requiring quarantines in June for travelers arriving from areas where the coronavirus is still spreading rapidly. The move was meant to help limit spread in New York caused by surging cases elsewhere.
The policy applies to areas with a positive coronavirus testing rate higher than 10 people per 100,000 residents or with an overall positive rate of 10% or higher, both based on seven-day rolling averages.
So far, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has chosen not to enforce the quarantine policy on any states that directly border New York. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut have also qualified for inclusion on the quarantine list, but were not added.
New York instead is discouraging all nonessential travel to and from border states that qualify for the list.
Cuomo has said repeatedly it would be nearly impossible to enforce quarantines on travelers from border states, given the amount of cross-border travel and the close economic ties between the states.
He has also noted that most people drive into New York from border states, creating another enforcement headache. While the state has sent “enforcement teams” to airports to boost compliance with the quarantine policy, it hasn’t taken any similar action for vehicle traffic.
Cuomo has said states aren’t equipped to perform that type of border control.
The quarantine policy includes exemptions for essential workers and doesn’t apply if a traveler is in a location on the list for less than 24 hours.
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