The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a domestic travel advisory for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to try to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Officials are asking people not to leave the New York metro area for the next 14 days.

The CDC says the travel advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, such as public health, financial services and food supply.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says this is not a lockdown, but he is urging New York residents to avoid any unnecessary travel.

Anthony Santella, an associate professor of Public Health at Hofstra University, says the CDC does have the authority to restrict travel, but that this is just a travel advisory.

Santella says it's rare for the CDC to lockdown travel, but it has happened in the past. He says he doesn't believe it will come to that.