NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York State is updating quarantine guidelines in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will not require those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to isolate after exposure to the virus.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state health commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker on Thursday said New York will follow CDC recommendations released Wednesday, which apply to any individual who has been fully vaccinated against the virus.
The governor says if an individual has been fully vaccinated, they will not be required to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure, if they experience no symptoms of the illness. The exposure must happen at least two weeks after vaccination for exemption to apply.
Quarantine exemption lasts until 90 days after vaccination, the governor added.
Those who have only received one of a two-dose vaccine and those who have not been vaccinated at all still need to quarantine after exposure to the virus. Isolation ends 10 days later without testing if the person does not have any symptoms.
Quarantine may end after just seven days if an individual who has been exposed to COVID-19 receives a negative test.
Cuomo and Zucker urged New Yorkers to stay vigilant and continue to wear masks and stay apart from others even if vaccinated. They said that “the science regarding COVID transmissibility post-vaccination remains unsettled, and this updated guidance is not an all-clear for New Yorkers to let their guard down."
New York isn't out of the woods yet: The state averaged 9,078 new cases each day over the past seven days. That’s down 4% from the prior week but is still among the nation's highest rates per capita.
The Associated Press reports hospitals and nursing homes have been reporting over 1,000 COVID-19 deaths each week since early January.
Hospitalizations dipped to 7,342 as of Wednesday, down 8% from seven days earlier. Cases are rising and hospitalization is ticking up in the Bronx in particular, which averaged 986 daily new cases over the past seven days and reported 680 patients.
However, Gov. Cuomo remains confident that the state will turn the tide in the battle against COVID-19.
"We've hit a significant milestone in the COVID war. Our infection rate continues to come down and more than 10 percent of New Yorkers have now received the first dose of the vaccine." Cuomo said in a statement. "That's due in large part to our expansive vaccination network of providers, pop up and mass vaccination sites that improve access and equity in the vaccine distribution process. With a trusted partner in the White House working to increase both production and supply of the vaccine, we can and have remained laser-focused on getting each week's supply into as many arms as quickly and fairly as possible while continuing to bolster public trust in the vaccine. We still have a long way to go but we're headed in the right direction and I'm confident New York will be the first COVID-free state.”
Around 10 million New Yorkers will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when the state begins to allow those with comorbidities to get their shot on Monday.
(© 2021 WCBS 880. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)