New Requirement for Self-Quarantine After Return from Travel to Certain States

June 24, 2020

On Wednesday, June 24th, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut (the Tri-State Region) announced that visitors from states with high transmission rates of coronavirus must quarantine themselves for 14 days after arrival in the region or face significant fines. This new policy, which took effect today, impacts any Brookhaven Lab employee returning from either personal or business travel to any of those high-transmission states. It will also apply to any guests, visitors, and contractors coming on site.

Returning travelers who need to quarantine include any coming from states registering 10 positive COVID-19 tests per 100,000 population on a seven-day rolling average or where 10 percent of COVID-19 virus tests are positive on a seven-day rolling average. Go to the New York State COVID-19 Travel Advisory site for a current list of restricted states and for more information.

The requirements of the travel advisory do not apply to any individual passing through designated states for a limited duration (i.e., less than 24 hours) through the course of travel.

Examples of such brief passage include but are not limited to: stopping at rest stops for vehicles, buses, and/or trains; or lay-overs for air travel, bus travel, or train travel.

If you go on personal or business travel outside of the Tri-State Region, you must notify the Occupational Medicine Clinic (OMC, Ext. 3670) upon your return if you are scheduled to return to work on site. OMC will verify that you can return to the site or will inform you that you are subject to the 14-day self-quarantine - during which time you are not permitted on site - and will notify your supervisor. If you can work remotely and have an approved Telework Agreement in place, then you may do so during that time. If you are returning from personal travel and cannot work remotely, you will have to use accrued vacation time (if available) or take leave without pay to cover the 14-day period. Weather and Safety Leave is not available for staff returning from personal travel.

This is likely to be a rapidly changing situation, so if you are planning personal travel, we strongly advise you to check quarantine requirements both at your departure location and your destination before you leave for your trip, including the NYS COVID-19 Travel Advisory site.

- Robert Lincoln
Associate Laboratory Director for Human Resources.