money New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut enact coronavirus travel restrictions
Some out-of-state visitors coming to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, according to a new travel advisory from those states’ governors.
The advisory goes into effect at midnight on Wednesday and applies to individuals coming from states with high cases of COVID-19 infections.
Read more: Travel and coronavirus: Here are the states where travelers must self-quarantine
Without calling out states specifically, the joint press release from Govs. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), Ned Lamont (D-CT), and Phil Murphy (D-NJ), said the advisory applies to states with a “positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.”
Nine states — including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Utah, Texas, and Washington — currently exceed the threshold for mandatory self-quarantine if people from those states wish to visit the tristate area.
The announcement comes as a role-reversal for the three states.
In the early stage of the pandemic, states like Florida quickly slapped self-quarantine restrictions on those fleeing New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, as those states — particularly New York City — were the epicenters of the COVID-19 infections.
Now, it’s the tristate governors who are nervous about people visiting and bringing COVID-19 with them as cases drop in their states and surge in Arizona and Texas, among others.
But even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to drop in New York, states like Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont, are holding firm and still require all out-of-state visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will broadcast the new requirement via social media and post on highways, airports, and websites in the three states. Hotels will also communicate to guests who have traveled from the impacted states.
There is also legal recourse for those who violate the mandate and Gov. Cuomo said offenders could be “subject to a judicial order and mandatory quarantine,” with violations as severe as $10,000.
The travel advisory doesn’t signal good news for economists who see it as another hurdle standing in the way of boosting interstate tourism and hospitality industries as states reopen just in time for the summer vacation season.
“The Big Apple is going to turn into a rotten apple for tourism if visitors are forced to quarantine,” Chris Rupkey, MUFG managing director and chief financial economist, wrote in a note. “This travel restriction shows the second wave of coronavirus cases is putting its foot down hard on the economic recovery which looks more and more dicey by the day.”
Stephanie is a reporter for Yahoo Money and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @SJAsymkos.
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