Gov. Cuomo adds Puerto Rico, DC to NY’s quarantine travel list

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is growing his 14-day quarantine coronavirus travel advisory list to 34 states plus Puerto Rico, he said Tuesday.

“Our job is to make sure we’re doing everything we can to control COVID — which we are doing — [and to] anticipate possible future issues that might come along,” Cuomo told reporters during a phone call press conference from Albany.

“On the situation across the nation, it still is very bad and there are more states that have exceeded our threshold for quarantine. Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Washington D.C. are now added to the list,” he said.

“Puerto Rico is also added to the list. So, that means we’re now 34 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico who are on the quarantine list.”

Over half the country, plus Puerto Rico and the nation’s capital were added to the list after their virus data blew past New York, New Jersey and Connecticut’s guidelines set in late June.

A state is added if their data shows a positive coronavirus test rate higher than 10 per 10,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average, or a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over the same time frame.

Individuals flying into New York also have to fill out a survey detailing where they are coming from and where they plan to go.

If they leave the airport without filling out the necessary documents, they could be hit with up to $2,000 in penalties.

“If you refuse to fill out the form in the airports, it is illegal for you to leave the airport,” Cuomo said, declining to provide a specific number of violators or summonses issued to date.

The travel advisory currently includes: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.