Tri-State Area Travelers Required to Quarantine Upon Returning From These States
In the wake of COVID-19, travelers visiting New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from certain states around the country will be required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. Initially announced in June, the quarantine mandate was decided in agreement among New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
States that have a “high infection rate” of COVID-19 or any state with an infection rate of more than 10 per 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average are included on the list. The rule applies to travelers that arrive via any mode of transportation.
The list, established in June has adjusted accordingly as coronavirus continues to impact the country as a whole. In October, as the tri-state area began to see an uptick in cases again, the three governors discouraged non-essential travel between their respective states.
"We're urging all of our residents to avoid unnecessary or non-essential travel between states at this time, but will not subject residents of our states to a quarantine if coming from a neighboring state," the announcement read. Travel to Pennsylvania is also discouraged, but visitors will not have to quarantine.
U.S. territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also included on the list.
The current list is as follows:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Travelers visiting from the states and territories listed above may be required to disclose where they will be quarantining or face various penalties depending on which state they're in. Those visiting New York may face a $2,000 fine, and anyone heading to Connecticut may face a $1,000 fine.
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are at various levels of reopening as they continue to grapple with the fallout of coronavirus. For specific information on where each state is at in their reopening plan, see below:
Elsewhere in the U.S., Chicago, Massachusetts, and Maryland have implemented various travel advisories or quarantine mandates.