New York Welcomes Fully Vaccinated Domestic Tourists

With more people vaccinated, New York updated its travel guidance for domestic travelers. The state decided to ease travel restrictions for its domestic travelers. The catch is that they should be fully vaccinated within 90 days of their trip. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, “New Yorkers have done a tremendous job working to defeat COVID”. He added that the state is “gradually loosening restrictions as the numbers reduce and the public health improves”.

However, this isn’t the case for travelers coming from international destinations. New York requires them to get tested three days before arriving in New York. They also need to quarantine for three days. And on the fourth day, they need to test again for a second time. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut travelers don’t need to follow the protocols.

According to President Biden, 90% of Americans are going to be eligible for vaccination by mid-April. The remaining 10% will then be eligible by May.

Slowly Opening

Cuomo on Wednesday also made a big announcement that arts and entertainment venues can operate again. However, arts and entertainment venues can only open at 33% capacity starting April 2. The venues will also be able to get more people if the attendees will be able to present a negative COVID19 test.

New York also recently announced the first US COVID vaccine passport called the Excelsior Pass. This will contain everything there is to know about your COVID19 test history and vaccination status. The app, however, is not mandatory. Also, it is going to make use of blockchain technology to prevent tampering of data and to ensure confidentiality at all times.

Madison Square Garden and Times Union Center are among venues that are going to use the Excelsior Pass on April 2. Cuomo said that the “Excelsior Pass is another tool in our new toolbox”. He also said that this allowed more sectors to operate and reopen safely without compromising personal information.