Here’s the message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to truck drivers servicing New York City: stay in your cab but no need to self-quarantine after leaving Gotham.
The CDC and the White House earlier this week said anybody leaving New York City should self-quarantine for 14 days, given the prevalence of the coronavirus in the region. But the CDC has clarified that statement to make clear its policy does not include truck drivers.
“In line with our recommendations for other essential critical infrastructure workers, this guidance does not apply to critical transportation and delivery workers who are desperately needed for New York residents to continue their daily lives and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak,” the CDC said in its statement.
Drivers who practice the recommended CDC guidelines do not need to self-quarantine after leaving New York “unless self-quarantine is recommended by state or local officials for all residents in the areas where they live.”
There is a self-quarantine mandate in Florida for travelers coming into that state from New York but it is for passengers arriving by airplane.
The CDC also had recommendations for drivers who go into New York.
“Truck drivers and other people driving into the city to deliver needed supplies should stay in their vehicles as much as possible as supplies are loaded and unloaded, avoid being within 6 feet of others as much as possible when they exit their vehicles, and move to electronic receipts if possible,” the CDC said in its statement. “If these drivers need to spend the night in the greater New York City area, they should stay in their hotel rooms or sleeper cab, when available, to the extent possible and continue to practice social distancing. “