California Joins 38 Other States on the New York Quarantine List

New York has had a quarantine list in place for states and territories for a while now and the list is updated each Tuesday. This latest update saw California join the list of 38 other states – which could be helpful in moving New York to reevaluate their protocols.

California Joins 38 Other States on New York Quarantine List

Link: New York Quarantine Information

What is the New York Quarantine List?

New York takes the virus data of states and adds states to a running quarantine list based on fulfilling one of these two criteria:

• a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average, or
• a testing positivity rate of higher than 10% over a seven-day rolling average

In addition, anyone traveling to New York from all but 31 countries are also required to quarantine for 14 days.

If you have traveled from any of the states on the quarantine list, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days from the last date of travel to one of those states. If you are in one of the states for less than 24 hours, you will not be required to quarantine as long as it is for something like a rest stop or a lay over.

What US States and Territories Are on the Quarantine List?

Here is the complete list as of October 27:

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Guam
• Iowa
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• Nevada
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Wisconsin
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

It should be noted that neighboring states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey all have met the criteria (at various times) to be added to the list as well but the New York governor has said it would not be “practical” to add those states to the list.

For everyone flying in from one of those states on the list, you will be required to fill out the Traveler Health Form at the airport (where New York is currently using National Guard members to distribute forms). If you are driving in, you are supposed to fill out the form online.

Once you fill that form out, you will have daily check up calls or texts to verify your health. Check out this excellent post by Becky at sightDOING about what to expect when traveling from a state on the list.

What Will California’s Addition the List Do About Protocol?

Out of all the recent additions to the list, there is no question that the addition of California will be the most disruptive for many. That is due to the people that travel back and forth between LA/San Francisco and New York City. By itself, this route is a big moneymaker for airlines in premium cabins and there are frequent travelers that make this trip to only stay for a day or two. Having to quarantine for 14 days on arrival will definitely alter those plans.

The NYS governor has been talking about making a possible change to the quarantine protocols which would include the option to take a Covid test on arrival and then a second one within 7 days of arriving. If the test is negative, quarantine could be avoided.

The problem with this is the shortage of rapid tests. If those could be produced quicker, I think the addition of California to this list could prompt a move to make the testing option become viable for incoming travelers.