(Reuters) – The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday ordered travelers from nine other U.S. states to quarantine for 14 days on arrival as COVID-19 showed signs of surging in areas not hit as hard by the initial outbreak.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the tough new mandate was “the smart thing to do” after the United States recorded its second-greatest increase in COVID-19 cases since in early March.
“We have taken our people, the three of us from these three states, through hell and back, and the last thing we need to do right now is subject our folks to another round,” Murphy said. COVID-19 is the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
A White House spokesman, Judd Deere, said that he did not believe the quarantine applied to President Donald Trump, who just returned from a visit to Arizona and was scheduled to be in New Jersey this weekend.
“The President of the United States is not a civilian. Anyone who is in close proximity to him, including staff, guests, and press are tested for COVID-19 and confirmed to be negative,” Deere said.
New York City and surrounding areas were the early epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic. More than 31,000 people have died of COVID-19 in New York state, roughly one-quarter of the U.S. total, according to a Reuters tally.
The 14-day quarantine applies to visitors from mostly southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Utah, as well as tri-state residents returning from those areas.
The states are determined by the number of new cases per 100,000 people or the percent testing positive.
Violators of the order, which takes effect from midnight, could face fines of $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for repeat offenses, Cuomo said.
