NEW YORK, March 11 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York state went down to 4,735 on Wednesday, compared with 4,798 one day earlier, tweeted Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the single-day COVID-19 test positivity rate dropped to 2.77 percent on Wednesday from 3.16 percent on Tuesday, he said, adding that there were 80 COVID-19 deaths in the state on Wednesday, compared with 58 one day earlier.

Also on Thursday, the governor announced that domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. state or U.S. territory starting April 1.

While no longer required, the NYS Department of Health still recommends quarantine after domestic travel as an added precaution. Mandatory quarantine remains in effect for international travelers.

"As we work to build our vaccination infrastructure even further and get more shots in arms, we're making significant progress in winning the footrace between the infection rate and the vaccination rate, allowing us to open new sectors of our economy and start our transition to a new normal in a post-pandemic world," he said.

"As part of that transition, quarantine for domestic travelers is no longer required, but it is still being advised as an added precaution. This is great news, but it is not an all-clear for New Yorkers to let their guard down," he added.

As of Thursday noon, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 48,573 deaths in New York state, the second worst in the country following the state of California with a death toll of 54,890.