On Saturday, October 31, 2020, Governor Cuomo revised the State’s position on out-of-state travel and quarantine. The guidance can be accessed here.
New Guidance
New requirements regarding the travel ban went into effect on November 4, 2020. The new requirements are as follows:
For any travel to New York State from out of state, exempting the contiguous states (Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), the new guidelines for travelers to exercise an optional test-out of the mandatory 14-day quarantine are below:
- For travelers (including NYS residents) who were in another state for more than 24 hours:
- Travelers must obtain a first COVID test and negative result within three days of departure from that state, before returning to NYS.
- The traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for a minimum of three days.
- On day 4 of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain a second COVID test. If both tests come back negative, the traveler may exit quarantine early upon receipt of the second negative diagnostic test.
- For travelers (including NYS residents) who were in another state for less than 24 hours:
- No quarantine upon return is required, however, the traveler MUST obtain a COVID19 diagnostic test on the 4th day after arrival in NYS per the Governor’s Executive Order.
Local health departments will validate tests, if necessary. If a test comes back positive, our local health department, which is the Rensselaer County Department of Health, will issue isolation orders and initiate contact tracing.
Impact on Students
For those travelling to a non-contiguous state, we wanted to proactively communicate the following expectations.
Students in K – 8 who must quarantine due to travel will not be able to switch to virtual learning for the period of their quarantine. Furthermore, teachers will not be providing work for students quarantined for the purpose of travel. This is consistent with District practice for when students miss school due to vacations during days of session.
Students in grades 9 – 12 who must quarantine due to travel will be able to switch from in-person to virtual learning for the period of their quarantine. This will be allowed because, based on how the high school is currently operating, the switch will be seamless for all of the students in the class, including both those who have chosen the hybrid instructional model and the virtual instructional model. If you need to make a switch in program, please contact the Attendance Office at 518-674-7024 so that your child’s attendance is coded correctly and teachers can be appropriately notified.
We are very proud of the hard work and dedication of our students, parents, faculty, staff, coaches, and administration during this pandemic. Together, we will work to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all of us.