New York Governor Cuomo orders all visitors to get tested for coronavirus before entering state

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that anybody coming into the state will now be required to show proof of a recent negative coronavirus test, then quarantine for three days.

The Democratic governor said that enforcement of the new rules, now the strictest in the nation, will be executed at the local level by health department workers. The rule will not apply to daily commuters. 

Local health officials stationed at ports of entry across the state will require travelers to fill out health forms upon arrival. Local officials will not require evidence of a negative coronavirus test from travelers, however under Cuomo's new set of rules, the government has the right to mandate quarantine and a coronavirus test for all travelers. Anyone found in violation of the policy could be subject to a $10,000 fine or up to 15 days in prison. 

Formerly, New York was requiring a 14-day quarantine for travelers coming in from certain states (41 hotspots around the country, to be precise.)

The policy change comes as daily case numbers across the U.S. spike to all-time highs, including Friday's record-setting figure of 98,859 cases diagnosed in a single day. Nearly two dozen states have reported their worst week for cases in the past seven days — though death rates associated with the novel virus have not risen nearly to the same degree as case numbers. 

Over the past two weeks cases have increased 45% in New York, the state which has lost the single highest number of residents to the virus. As of the weekend, New York has reported more than 510,000 coronavirus cases and 33,143 deaths.