TRENTON – Today, Governor Phil Murphy announced pretty much every state in America save a small handful are now on his 14-day mandatory travel quarantine list. Today, Murphy added Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut to the list virtually nobody is really paying much attention to anymore because New Jersey itself would be on that list if it was a different state.
Murphy advised individuals traveling to New Jersey from states or territories with significant community spread of COVID-19 to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state or territory. The updated advisory includes the addition of Arizona and Maryland, bringing the total to 39 states and territories. The travel advisory applies to any person arriving from a state or territory with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
As of Tuesday, October 20, there are currently 39 states and territories that meet the criteria stated above: Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; Colorado; Florida; Georgia; Guam; Iowa; Idaho; Indiana; Illinois; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Mississippi; Montana; North Carolina; North Dakota; Nebraska; New Mexico; Nevada; Ohio; Oklahoma; Puerto Rico; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Virginia; Wisconsin; West Virginia; and Wyoming.
Neighboring states Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware now meet the criteria for New Jersey’s travel advisory. Due to the interconnected nature of the region and mode of transport between New Jersey and the three states, a 14-day quarantine is not reasonable in all instances. Non-essential travel to and from these states, however, is highly discouraged at this time. New York and Connecticut are also discouraging non-essential travel to and from New Jersey, but are not mandating that travelers quarantine due to the interconnected nature of the region and economy.
“As cases continue to rise in our state, we must stay vigilant and take all the necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Murphy. “It remains our top priority to ensure the safety of New Jersey residents, and we ask individuals arriving from these 39 states to get tested for COVID-19 and self-quarantine for 14 days.”
Travelers and those residents who are returning from impacted states should self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or other temporary lodging. Individuals should leave the place of self-quarantine only to seek medical care/treatment or to obtain food and other essential items.
It is expected that individuals will follow the public health advisory to self-quarantine. The list of states will be updated on a rolling basis and is accessible here.