Governor Cuomo Announces Travel Advisory Requiring 14-Day Quarantine

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Arizona and Maryland have been added to New York's COVID-19 travel advisory. No areas have been removed. The advisory requires individuals who have traveled to New York from areas with significant community spread to quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine applies to any person arriving from an area with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or an area with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

Neighboring states Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania now meet the criteria for the travel advisory -- however, given the interconnected nature of the region and mode of transport between us, a quarantine on these states is not practically viable. That said, New York State highly discourages, to the extent practical, non-essential travel to and from these states while they meet the travel advisory criteria.

"We are now in a situation where 43 states meet the criteria for our travel advisory. This is really a bizarre outcome, considering New York once had the highest infection rate," Governor Cuomo said. "There is no practical way to quarantine New York from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut. There are just too many interchanges, interconnections, and people who live in one place and work in the other. It would have a disastrous effect on the economy, and remember while we're fighting this public health pandemic we're also fighting to open up the economy. However, to the extent travel between the states is not essential, it should be avoided."

The full, updated travel advisory list is available below:

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• 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

In "Red Zone" focus areas included as part of the Governor's Cluster Action Initiative, the positivity rate for test results reported yesterday is 2.91 percent - down from 3.31 percent the day before.

Within the "Red Zone" focus areas, 3,955 test results were reported yesterday, yielding 115 positives or a 2.91 percent positivity rate. In the remainder of the state, not counting these "Red Zone" focus areas, 86,585 test results were reported, yielding 1,086 positives or a 1.25 percent positivity rate. The state's overall positivity rate is 1.32 percent with focus areas included. The "Red Zone" focus areas are home to 2.8 percent of the state population yet had 9.6 percent of all positive test results reported to the state yesterday.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization - 942 (+8)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 113
• Hospital Counties - 42
• Number ICU - 194 (-4)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 99 (-7)
• Total Discharges - 78,530 (+88)
• Deaths - 12
• Total Deaths - 25,672

The Governor also announced the Department of Health is continuing to partner with counties and local health departments to open new rapid testing sites and expand existing community testing options in communities in Southern Tier and Western New York counties along Pennsylvania border that have seen recent upticks in cases.

Testing sites that will be open to the public for free rapid result tests this week are listed below. Additional hours and locations will be added as needed:

Chautauqua County:

Jamestown Training Grounds, 240 Harrison Street, Jamestown, NY 14701

Dunkirk Training Grounds, 665 Brigham Road, Dunkirk, NY 14048

To make appointment, follow the links for Jamestown, Dunkirk respectively.

Cattaraugus County:

Allegany Fire Hall, 1st Street (West Main St), Allegany, NY 14706

Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday

To make appointment: Any resident of Cattaraugus County can register by going to this link or calling (716) 938-9119 or (716) 938-2265

Allegany County:

Belmont BOCES Center, 5718 County Road 48, Belmont, NY 14813

Community testing Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

To make appointment: (585) 268-9250, press #4, to schedule an appointment for testing

Riverwalk Plaza, 121 Bolivar Road, Wellsville, NY 14895

Testing Days/Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10/20-10/23: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

To make appointment: (585) 268-9250, press #4 to schedule an appointment for testing

Chemung County:

Washington Elementary School (Elmira School District Administration Building)

430 Washington Ave, Elmira 14901

Expanded testing starting: Tuesday 10/20 - 10/24; Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.To make appointment, follow this link.

Steuben County:

Beartown Road Alliance Church, 21 Beartown Rd., Painted Post, NY 14870

Testing Monday - Friday (Variable hours)

To make an appointment, follow this link.

Tioga County:

Village Town Hall, 32 Ithaca St, Waverly 14892 H

Wednesday 12-6, Thursday and Friday 10-6

To make appointment, follow this link.

Each region's percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

Each New York City borough's percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

Of the 486,480 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

Yesterday, 12 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 25,672. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence: