3 US states impose coronavirus quarantine for travelers

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut imposed a 14-day quarantine Tuesday on travelers who enter from coronavirus hotspots in other states.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the joint travel advisory during a news briefing and said visitors from states with higher infection rates must quarantine because "we don't want to see" the transmission rate go up.

"What happens in New York happens in New Jersey, happens in Connecticut. I think it is smart. I'm glad that we're doing it together," he said.

The governor said the quarantine will apply to any state with an infection rate higher than 10 cases per 100,000 people on a seven-day rolling average.

"As of today, the states that are above that level are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah, Texas," he said.

Cuomo’s counterpart in New Jersey said the self-quarantine is the "right thing" to do "if you've been in a state that has high a infection rate."

"We need to do things right inside the four walls in our respective states," said Phil Murphy.

The travel advisory will take effect Thursday.

Cuomo said those who violate the quarantine could be subject to a judicial order and fines that stretch from $2,000 to $10,000.

As of Wednesday, New York has nearly 390,000 confirmed cases; New Jersey 169,000 and Connecticut 45,000, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University in the state of Maryland.

Overall, the country has more than 2.3 million infections and an excess of 121,000 deaths.