With throughout the United States, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that most travellers must now get COVID-19 tests before and after arrival in the state.
The new policy replaces a with rising case counts from which travellers were required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York, the governor said during a call with the media.
Most travellers to New York State will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test three days prior to setting out on their trip to the state, Cuomo said.
The policy does not apply to travel between New York and the neighbouring states of Connecticut, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania.
Once in New York, travellers will be required to quarantine for three days before getting another test. If the second test is negative, the traveller will no longer be required to quarantine.
The new policy also says any New York resident travelling outside the state for more than 24 hours must follow the same procedure.
A New York resident leaving the state for less than 24 hours will only be required to take the second test.
New York's overall coronavirus positivity rate Saturday was 1.49%, down from 1.53% the previous day.
"As with everything, context is key: Cases are surging around the country and around the globe," Cuomo said in a statement. "In a sea of division and a sea of COVID chaos, our ship of state is sailing well. The world, however, is in trouble. So New Yorkers should be very proud of where we are, but we also need to stay vigilant."
