New York added Puerto Rico to its mandatory quarantine list upon arrival. This scenario reflects major concerns about cases increasing on the island and warns travelers that they will not be able to return immediately to work or study after arriving in that state.

New York has overcome one of the deadliest health crises in its history, with hospitals collapsing and more than 32,000 deaths, and is now protecting itself against possible contagion coming from outsiders, which can lead to outbreaks.

Governor Andrew Cuomo had ordered that travelers from states with an explosive spread must quarantine for 14 days after arriving. Now, Puerto Rico was added to that list, and that calls us to reflect on how our behavior affects the island and beyond. New Jersey and Connecticut, where much of our diaspora lives, have joined New York in expanding restrictions to the island: anyone traveling from Puerto Rico must self-quarantine for 14 days.

It is not an arbitrary decision. It's about numbers: travelers arriving in New York from U.S. jurisdictions where the daily positivity rate is at ten percent or higher, based on a rolling seven-day average, are considered suspect cases. Puerto Rico has been at the top of The New York Times' daily chart of the jurisdictions where new cases are increasing for several days.

When the local government announced local measures seeking to prevent the spread, in effect between August 1 and August 15, they said that during the first half of July there were more Puerto Ricans were leaving the island than entering. Available official data also show that most of the positive cases´ contacts here are residents and not tourists.

Most Puerto Rican travelers stay with their families or relatives. We support the call for postponing non-urgent or non-essential travel, and also to bring proof of negative coronavirus test when arriving or leaving the island as well as social distancing and hygiene measures even among family members.

The government should do the same with testing and tracing processes. Travelers arriving at Luis Muñoz Marín Airport have described the authorities' inability to detect asymptomatic cases or potentially active cases that escape the limited controls there, not proper screening, and confusion that could lead to contagion.

New York maintains a travel advisory, which applies to travelers entering from Puerto Rico and high-risk states. This regulation requires visitors to fill out a form providing the address and details of their place of stay -whether it´s their own home or that of relatives. Failing to do so will result in a $1,000 fine. Travelers arriving on the island must also follow a protocol. Compliance with it depends on individual responsibility and government actions.

Governor Cuomo asked neighbors to cooperate and report violations to the rules by those who have just arrived from the states listed and skip the quarantine. We do not have to go that far in Puerto Rico. We should all do our part and avoid meetings without social distancing measures until the virus is contained. We must also warn young people, who right now are in the statistics with a high percentage of cases.

New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have taken steps that show the importance of complying with virus prevention standards. It is essential to protect our health and that of others, set normal economic activity back on track, and safely strengthen our relations with the diaspora and family reunions.