Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he’s considering an order that would require people who visit New York from Florida, and other states with growing coronavirus infections, to self-quarantine for two weeks.
That would be to prevent a spike in the disease in New York, which has seen a steady decline in new infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19 in recent weeks.
As of Wednesday, the latest data available from the state, only 1,358 people were still hospitalized in New York. Of those, 278 still required treatment from a ventilator. Neither numbers are ideal, but they’re in sharp contrast to the peak of the disease in April.
Only 618 more people were diagnosed with the disease Wednesday. That’s less than 1% of the number of people tested, according to state data.
But, while New York’s numbers have continued in the right direction, other states are seeing a surge of the virus. Florida, for example, diagnosed another 3,207 people with the disease Wednesday, according to media reports.
Early on in the COVID-19 crisis, Florida, and other states, imposed a quarantine for people who traveled there from New York — which remains the most-affected state, with the highest number of cases and deaths from the disease.
Cuomo, on Thursday, said he may consider the same approach if cases continue to rise in other states.
"I haven't made a decision yet, but I have had experts advise me of that,” Cuomo said.
He didn’t give a timeline on when such a decision would be made, or what would push the state to impose such a quarantine.
