NYS Travel Advisory Information

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued a travel advisory that requires people traveling from states with high community transmission of COVID-19 to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival to New York. This list is subject to change by the governor’s office. 

For students who are required to adhere to the 14-day quarantine mandated by the New York State Travel Advisory and reside in university housing, RIT has put together a bundled solution for students to meet the quarantine requirement. Students from affected states who will reside in off-campus housing are required to quarantine in their off-campus residence or in any state not currently on the NYS list of Restricted States.

Quarantine Options

Option A: Independent Quarantine

Students from areas on the New York advisory list may quarantine on their own in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut), or in any state not currently on the NYS list of “Restricted States,” for 14 days prior to their scheduled move-in date. The quarantine could be done through independent housing, hotel arrangements, or through a friend or relative. Students who choose this option will be asked to provide information about the location of their stay and agreement to follow the quarantine requirements prior to arrival on campus. These students will still be required to submit a pre-arrival negative COVID-19. This can be obtained in their home state or the state in which they quarantine.

Option B: Arrive August 12 and participate in university-sponsored quarantine with hotel accommodations

Students with current university housing assignments from the affected areas will be contacted by RIT Housing to determine interest in the university-sponsored quarantine option outlined below.

RIT has secured 600+ rooms at local brand-name hotels within 15 miles of the RIT campus. The cost for the 14-day package is $780, which includes a room and 3 meals per day. For those partner hotels not providing meals, RIT will provide a $420 meal debit card for use at local restaurants of all varieties and grocery delivery. You will not have to pay at the hotel. The charge will be posted to your student account this fall.

RIT is applying the unused room and board costs during this time period to support the expenses associated with creating this option and negotiating below-market hotel rates. For students with financial hardship, please email Ian Mortimer, Vice President for Enrollment Management.

These rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. We are asking for students who select this option to arrive ideally on August 12, but no later than August 18. A scheduled arrival time and hotel assignment will be sent to students in early August. Parents/guardians may stay in the room if they wish, but they would also be required to adhere to quarantine requirements. Once the 14-day quarantine is complete, students will make arrangements with RIT Housing to transition into their regular-year assignment.

  • Students selecting this option would begin their classes remotely. Faculty will provide access to the course materials necessary to meet the course learning outcomes to ensure academic progress.
  • New first-year students will be able to participate in new student orientation online.
  • All students with this option will be assigned an RIT staff member to serve as a point of contact.
  • Students will complete their Daily Health Screen and any concerns will be reported to the Student Health Center.

This solution is created so that students do not have to navigate hotel accommodations and to ensure family schedules/work commitments are not disrupted. Completion of the mandatory travel form is required to start this process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students do not need to quarantine if they have not yet left a state that has been removed from the New York State Travel Advisory list. If a student reserved a slot in university-supported quarantine, they will be contacted by RIT to reset a regular move-in time. If students were planning to quarantine on their own and have not yet started quarantine, they are released from this requirement. However, if a student has already started the quarantine when it was required, they must complete that 14-day quarantine.

For students who are required to adhere to the 14-day quarantine mandated by New York state and reside in university housing, RIT has put together a bundled solution to meet the quarantine requirement. This includes a reduced rate for local hotel occupancy starting on August 12.

RIT has secured 600-plus rooms at local brand-name hotels within 15 miles of the RIT campus. The cost for the 14-day package is $780, which includes a room and three meals per day. For those partner hotels not providing meals, RIT will provide a $420 meal debit card for use at local restaurants and grocery delivery. You will not have to pay at the hotel. The charge will be posted to your student account this fall.

Completion of the mandatory travel form is required to start this process. Students with current university housing assignments from the affected areas will be contacted by RIT Housing to determine interest. Hotel rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. We are asking for students to arrive ideally on August 12, but no later than August 18. A scheduled arrival time and hotel assignment will be sent to students in early August. Parents/guardians may stay in the room if they wish, but they would also be required to adhere to quarantine requirements. Once the 14-day quarantine is complete, students will make arrangements with RIT Housing to transition into their regular-year assignment.

We will share the names of the hotels after students sign up for the option. Hotel rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

The offer from RIT for the reduced rate aligns with the start of move-in for the university. If a student chooses to come prior to that date they would need to find their own accommodations.

Students without a negative test result will not be allowed to enter into the university-sponsored quarantine program held at area hotels.

Students from quarantine states who are living in on-campus housing will have an RIT-sponsored test roughly 14 days after completion of quarantine.

Students from quarantine states who are not living on campus will be not be tested in this stage of campus disease surveillance.

Students traveling to the RIT campus from international locations on or after August 10 will not need to quarantine upon arrival. Students who traveled earlier and have already begun quarantine must complete the required 14 days.

Parents/guardians may stay in the room if they wish, but they would also be required to adhere to quarantine requirements. 

Students with financial hardship should email Ian Mortimer, Vice President for Enrollment Management.

Students selecting this option would begin their classes remotely. Faculty will provide access to the course materials necessary to meet the course learning outcomes to ensure academic progress.

We will have all new first-year students in quarantine participate in new student orientation online.

All students with this option will be assigned an RIT staff member to serve as a point of contact.

If a student comes from a state that was recently added to the list, the student will need to quarantine for 14 days.

We do not recommend that students wait at home for their state to be removed from the New York travel advisory list. In order to retain their housing assignments, students must move in by August 23 or have started university-supported quarantine as assigned. In addition, we are not able to guarantee every student from a travel ban state a fully online option.

All students will continue to have access to telehealth and telemental health student services. Faculty will work with isolated or quarantined students to ensure they can continue their academic work. Students residing on campus will also be supported by meal delivery for their applicable on-campus meal plans, trash pickup, and laundry support.

If students experience concerning symptoms, they should call RIT Student Health Center at 585-475-2255. A health care provider is on-call and available by phone for urgent concerns when our RIT Student Health Center is closed.

Students pay an extra $780 to participate in the university-sponsored hotel quarantine. RIT’s expense to run the program per student is about $1,750 for the 14 days of hotel with meals. The student’s unused room and board is going into covering the difference.

RIT is not offering a formal refund on room and board. Instead, that money is being used to offset the difference between the total cost of the hotel with meals and Wi-Fi, which is about $1,750 for the 14 days, and the amount we are charging families, which is $780.

While amenities will vary between hotels, rooms will include wi-fi and a TV.

Students will complete their Daily Health Screen and any concerns will be reported to the Student Health Center.

Students interested in RIT’s hotel option should contact their hotel to ensure they are able to cancel without penalty.

No. We are requiring each student that has been offered hotel accommodations to go directly to the hotel.

Quarantine means that you will have to stay in your assigned quarantine housing for the duration of the incubation period: 14 days. You must monitor yourself for any potential symptoms of infection including cough, fever, chills or muscle aches, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, sore throat, or new loss of sense of smell or taste. You must check your temperature in the morning and evening, and report symptoms or elevated temperature to your health care provider. We expect all students to participate in our Daily Health Screen every day, throughout the semester.

If you are in university housing or university sponsored quarantine, you will report any concerning symptoms to our Student Health Center at 585-475-2255. You do not need to wear a mask when you are alone in your room.

No. You cannot go to work or school, participate in social activities, or visit any public places. You should stay in a well-ventilated room that is your own living space in a home or apartment setting, or a single hotel room. You should not be spending in-person time with friends or family.

New York’s travel advisory requires all New Yorkers, as well as those visiting from designated states with significant community spread of COVID-19, to take personal responsibility for complying with the advisory in the best interest of public health and safety. To assist our students in complying with their personal responsibility, we are increasing our educational efforts and have identified local options for our students to use when self-quarantining. In addition, all students will continue to have access to telehealth and telemental health student services.