Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday urged New Yorkers to celebrate Thanksgiving with their loved ones virtually over concerns family trips could spread the coronavirus. 

"I think my personal advice is you don't have family gatherings even for Thanksgiving," Cuomo said in a conference call. "My personal advice is the best way to say I love you, the best way to say I'm thankful for you, that I don't want to endanger you and I don't want to endanger our family and our friends and I don't want to endanger you."

Cuomo noted the spread of COVID-19 cases has come in many instances from small gatherings of people, including a wedding in Orleans County. 

"It's these gatherings that are creating issues," Cuomo said. 

The Thanksgiving weekend is typically one the busiest travel days of the year. State university officials this week announced students living on campus must test negative for COVID-19 10 days prior to leaving for home.

State officials have placed two-week quarantine advisory for travel from 41 states and territories where COVID-19 cases have increased in recent weeks. New York is also discouraging non-essential travel to bordering states Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. 

"We do not have a travel ban in the state of New York," Cuomo said. "We never said people can't travel out of the state or into the state. You can travel wherever you want to travel."