N.Y., N.J., Connecticut Impose Quarantines For Visitors From Coronavirus Hotspots

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will require visitors coming from other states with significant coronavirus cases to quarantine for a two-week period upon arrival.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that the travel advisory would go into effect midnight Thursday. He was joined by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy at a midday press briefing.

Each state is responsible for implementing its own enforcement mechanism, Cuomo said.

He added that visitors traveling from states above a set infection rate would have to quarantine. Currently, those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas, Cuomo said.

"The states themselves can change as the infection rate changes," Cuomo said, adding that the list of states impacted would be updated on a daily basis.

Cuomo reiterated that the travel advisory was not a travel ban and that people are still welcome to travel to the state. Visitors who are found to be in violation of the travel advisory could be subject to a judicial order and mandatory quarantine.

There could also be potential fines, including $2,000 for a first violation and a fine of up to $10,000 if the person causes harm, Cuomo said.

The move to impose a quarantine is an indication of how rapidly the dynamics of coronavirus can change. For months, New York, in particular New York City, was the epicenter for COVID-19 infections and deaths.

New Jersey was also among the states with the highest infection rates.

Since much of the country has emerged from coronavirus-related shutdowns, other hotspots have emerged. Those include states such as Arizona, Florida and Texas, which have set state records in recent days for new virus infections.

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