New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are among the states imposing harsh restrictions on travelers, requiring visitors from select states to quarantine for 14 days. And that list keeps getting longer.
On Tuesday, the tri-state governors added Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Mexico to the list, WCCO reports. That brings the list of states from which travelers will be required to quarantine up to 22.
The mandatory quarantine applies to states with average infection rates above 10% over the last seven-day period, or 10 positive cases per 100,000 residents. After getting their own coronavirus outbreaks under control, these three states are essentially saying “no thanks” to travelers from other states that are now struggling. And with coronavirus case counts on the rise across much of the U.S., many states are now unwelcome.
“We have to make sure the virus doesn't come on again in a plane,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said when announcing the policy in late June, according to ABC News. “We worked hard to get the viral transmission down and don't want it to go back up again.”
With this latest revision, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are essentially banning travel from:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Wisconsin
Countries across the globe have imposed harsh restrictions on travelers – if not banned travel altogether – to curb the spread of coronavirus. But those have steadily spread among individual U.S. states.
For months, Hawaii has essentially banned travel to the islands since March by requiring a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced this week the state wouldn't lift that requirement Aug. 1 as planned.
Alaska has given visitors the option of providing a negative COVID-19 test result or quarantining.
Read our full state-by-state guide to coronavirus travel restrictions.
Bottom Line
This list continues to snowball. Coronavirus cases continue to climb throughout much of U.S., which could mean travelers from even more states may eventually make the list. It's essentially a domestic travel ban.
Perhaps more troubling, other states across the nation could follow the lead of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and impose their own domestic travel bans.