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Cuomo considering COVID-19 restrictions on travelers from Florida
With the number of coronavirus cases in Florida soaring, Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering imposing quarantine restrictions on any travelers from the state.
NEW YORK - Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering imposing a quarantine on people traveling to New York from Florida as a result of soaring COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State.
“It is a real concern,” Cuomo said. “It is something I’m considering.”
Florida reported more than 3,200 new cases in the last 24 hours alone, shattering its previous single-day high from earlier this week.
Florida is one of 10 states that has seen a record number of coronavirus cases this week.
“It’s really about protecting public health,” said Dr. John Whyte, Chief Medical Director for WebMD. “What I would be concerned about is that we all made these efforts to really decrease the spread of the virus in the city and the state, and you don’t want an influx of persons who may have the virus and may spread it.”
Whyte says that he doesn’t think requiring incoming residents to quarantine themselves is too much to ask, but he does believe that fleeing Floridians or returning New Yorkers need to quarantine correctly.
“The Principles of quarantine really are the same no matter what phase you might be in, where it’s really limiting yourself to one area, either your apartment or in your house, minimizing contact that you have with other people, because you don’t want to spread the virus through those respiratory droplets,” Whyte said.
Another way to ensure those visiting or returning home are COVID-19-clear is requiring a series of tests, including multiple antibody tests.