New York amends its travel ban

On October 31, Governor Andrew Cuomo amended Executive Order (EO) 205, a March “travel advisory” that required New York residents and others returning from one or more of the states on the high-risk or “hot” COVID-19 list to quarantine for 14 days. The amended protocol allows for a reduced quarantine period based on the length of the individual’s travel to the hot state and negative COVID-19 testing. The new protocol is effective on Wednesday, November 4. Read on to see how the amended rule will affect your business and employees.

Key parts of new guidance

The new guidance is found on the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) website at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.

Who’s affected. The new protocol covers any individuals (including New York residents) who are traveling back from a “hot” state except for those in a state “contiguous” to New York: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Individuals merely “passing through” a hot state while traveling also would be exempt. “Essential employees” (as defined by the EO) remain subject to the lesser protocols of the original travel advisory.

What’s changing. For any travelers to New York from out of state, exempting the contiguous states, the new guidelines for them to test out of the mandatory 14-day quarantine—if they were in another state for more than 24 hours—are as follows: