CLEVELAND, Ohio — Hope you got that fall trip to the Finger Lakes in, because Ohioans are back on New York’s not-welcome-here list.
Spiking COVID-19 numbers landed Ohio back on the travel advisory list, which means visiting Ohioans are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut (a negative COVID test will get you out of the quarantine requirement in Connecticut).
Ohio has been on and off New York’s list since mid-July, as the state’s coronavirus numbers have spiked and subsided. Ohio was most recently removed from New York’s list on September 15.
Ohio last week set a single-day record for positive cases, with 1,840 cases reported Friday.
Numerous states have travel restrictions in place in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. New York’s is one of the strictest.
New York uses one of two metrics to place states on its restricted list – either a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average or a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. According to Covidactnow.com, Ohio has a 3.7% positivity rate on recent tests, and a positive test rate of 12.5 residents per 100,000.
On Tuesday, three states – Ohio, Michigan and Virginia – were added to New York’s list, bringing the total to 38, reflecting rising infection rates throughout most of the United States. In New York itself – which aggressively controlled the virus using travel quarantines and other measures over the summer – infection numbers continue to increase. The number of daily cases per 100,000 residents in New York has increased to 7.2, according to Covidactnow.com, up from 3 in mid-August.
Travelers who violate New York’s rules face a fine of up to $10,000, although it’s unclear if anyone has been penalized. According to the restrictions, Ohioans are permitted to travel through New York, spending up to 24 hours in the state.
Ohio, meanwhile, has seven states on its travel advisory list – Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin.
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