In light of the recent rise of COVID-19 cases globally and within the United States, New York State has issued new guidelines for New Yorkers who travel in and out of the state, or in and out of the country during the coronavirus pandemic. It may impact the Paid Family Leave benefits you may ordinarily receive under NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave law if you are under a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine. Here is how you may be impacted.
Quarantine Benefits Eligibility for Travel Advisory Spots
Effective Wednesday, November 4, 2020, voluntary travel to any non-contiguous state requires a mandatory quarantine upon return to New York. NY’s contiguous states are NJ, CT, MA, PA, VT and are exempt from the mandatory quarantine. As of the date of this publication, the requirements for quarantine are positive test rates higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or higher than a 10% positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
Voluntary travel means you traveled for personal reasons (not related to work, and the travel was not at the direction of your employer). If you voluntarily travel outside of NY or its contiguous states, and that state or country meets the requirements for mandatory quarantine, you will forgo NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits.
Updated Travel Protocol for New York State
Also, effective November 4, 2020, anyone visiting NY from any state that is non-contiguous to New York or who are non-essential workers and who normally must adhere to a mandatory 14-day quarantine have new guidelines to follow. Get those updated travel guidelines here.
These travel advisories change frequently. To get the most up-to-date information on this new protocol and other advisories, please visit New York State’s travel advisory webpage here.
Keep up with the latest on your COVID-19 benefits, by signing up for our updates!
This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and/or Paid Family Leave (PFL) information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding regulations.