Update: New York is eliminating its domestic travel quarantine requirement as of April 1, 2021.
New York is starting to eliminate its domestic travel restrictions, but only for vaccinated travelers.
New York eliminates quarantine for vaccinated travelers
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that domestic travelers arriving in New York are no longer required to quarantine or test out within 90 days of full vaccination.
Those who haven’t been vaccinated, those fully vaccinated more than 90 days ago, and those arriving from abroad, will continue to have to follow New York’s standard testing and quarantine policy:
- Travelers need to quarantine for 10 days, or travelers need to quarantine for four days, then get tested, and are then released after getting a negative result
- Travel from Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, isn’t subjected to this rule
- While this quarantine requirement has been in place on paper, in reality it hasn’t been closely enforced, unlike Hawaii’s testing and quarantine policy, which is closely monitored
The 90 day restriction on vaccination is an interesting one, as it reflects that we really don’t know how long the vaccine gives you immunity. It’s also interesting to note that the new policy doesn’t explicitly state when you’re considered to be “fully” vaccinated.
Hopefully vaccinated travelers get more exclusions
We’re on the cusp of very widespread vaccinations here in the US, with President Biden promising that there will be enough vaccines for all American adults by the end of May.
Not only are vaccinated people well protected, but based on what we know so far, it also seems like vaccinated people are much less likely to spread coronavirus, which is great news. Over the coming months it’ll be interesting to see how policies are adjusted to reflect vaccination status:
- You’d think vaccinated travelers would be allowed to travel pretty freely, since they can help the travel business with minimal risk
- At the same time, there are logistical challenges to overcome — how do you prove you’re vaccinated, and how long do we assume that vaccination protects you?
I’m not surprised to see New York waive requirements for vaccinated travelers, given that the state didn’t previously enforce its quarantine much. I wouldn’t immediately expect this in states like Hawaii, though, simply because we still don’t have a good system for proving vaccination status. Do you just present the little sheet of paper you’re given when vaccinated (which presumably can pretty easily be faked), or…?
Bottom line
Those who have been fully vaccinated within the past 90 days no longer have to quarantine or get tested when arriving in New York. This is perfectly logical, and it’s likely that we’ll see a lot more of this in the near future.
To what extent do you think we’ll see destinations start waiving quarantine and testing requirements for vaccinated travelers?
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