WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Travelers headed to New York, New Jersey or Connecticut from states with high coronavirus rates may be forced to reconsider their plans.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on Wednesday to announce that certain out-of-state visitors will be subject to a 14-day quarantine.
The governors revealed the quarantine requirement will apply to anyone coming from a state with a positive test rate above 10 per 100,000 residents or 10 percent or more of the total population over a seven-day rolling average.
Cuomo said the new requirement currently applies to travelers from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah, and Texas.
'We worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down. We don't want to see it go up because a lot of people come into this region and they can literally bring the infection with them,' Cuomo said.
The New York Governor said visitors that do not adhere to the new requirements will be subject to fines and a mandatory quarantine.
Cuomo said the fines in New York would be $2,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second and up to $10,000 for someone who causes 'harm.'
The latest development reflects a substantial turnaround, as the tri-state area had been one of the biggest coronavirus hotspots in the world, leading states such as Florida and Texas to require travelers from the region to quarantine.
Now, the tri-state area seems to have the pandemic under control, while several states in the South and West are seeing spikes in confirmed coronavirus cases.
(Photo: Pat Arnow)
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