ALBANY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that he wants the federal government to require travelers coming to the United States from the United Kingdom to be tested for COVID-19 prior to their arrival.
Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK was dealing with a variation of the COVID-19 virus that is about 70% more transmittable. Governor Cuomo said Sunday that the new COVID-19 variation does not look to be any more or less deadly than the original.
As a result of the UK’s announcement, Cuomo said 120 countries now require a negative COVID-19 test from all travelers coming from the UK. The United States is not one of those countries.
During a conference call Sunday, Cuomo said the federal government needs to act fast in order to prevent this variant of COVID-19 from coming to the U.S.
“We have about six flights per day coming in from the UK, and we have done absolutely nothing. Now, to me, this is reprehensible because this is what happened in the spring,” Cuomo said.
Governor Cuomo said Sunday that there is no evidence that the COVID-19 variation has made its way to the United States, yet.
The CDC continues to test for variations and mutations of the virus.