De Blasio urges all New Yorkers to avoid travel for the holidays

NEW YORK - With the holiday season quickly approaching, the mayor is urging New Yorkers to stay home for the holidays to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

During a briefing from City Hall Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said New Yorkers run the risk of bringing back the disease and infecting others.

"I have to urge all New Yorkers: do not travel out of state for the holidays," said de Blasio. "Do not travel to a state with a high infection rate. Do not travel to a country with a high infection rate.”

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The mayor also wants the federal government to mandate that all travelers show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of traveling on a plane. He is also calling for the expansion of testing on passengers arriving at JFK and LaGuardia airports.

"For those who do travel, recognize how important it is to get tested and recognize there is a very strict quarantine in New York State and if you go elsewhere you will have to observe a two-week quarantine coming back. There are a few states that is not true for -but only a few states- the vast majority of American states now are on the New York state quarantine list.”

RELATED: COVID-19 travel advisory list for NY, NJ and CT

In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, all travelers to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from states with a significant spread of COVID-19 are required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering the tristate area.

As of Tuesday, October 20, 40 states and jurisdictions are on the travel advisory list.

FILE - A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker screens luggage at LaGuardia Airport (LGA). (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)