Not only are Americans banned from visiting most of Europe, but we’re increasingly seeing domestic travel restrictions as well, as some states see a surge in coronavirus cases.

In late June New York announced a travel quarantine, and that has now been expanded once again, as many states see a surge in coronavirus cases.

Tri-state 14-day quarantine requirement

First let’s recap the initial policy. On June 24 it was announced that travelers arriving in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, from regions with high COVID-19 infection rates, would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine.

A few months ago New York had among the highest cases of coronavirus, with some days seeing more than 10,000 new cases. At this point New York is consistently down to fewer than 1,000 cases per day, while states like Florida are seeing more cases than ever before.

As Governor Cuomo explained this move at the time:

“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.”

The reason all three states introduced this policy at the same time is because “what happens in New York happens in New Jersey and happens in Connecticut.”

While many may wonder about the implications of this on the economy, this all comes on the heels of a major economic study that determined that state reopenings have done little to boost the economy. Rather the bigger issue is that more needs to be done to restore safety and consumer confidence, in order for people to spend more.

31 states now subjected to quarantine

The 14-day quarantine requirement is based on the number of new cases per 100,000 residents in states over the past seven days. This list initially had just nine states on it, then last week we saw the last expanded to 22 states, and now we’re seeing the list expanded to include the following 31 states:

  • Alaska
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Maryland
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin

10 states have been added, while only Minnesota has been removed from the list.

The constant updates of states sure makes it impossible to plan future travel there, since you don’t know if you’ll be subjected to a 14-day quarantine or not.

New York also has a fine

As you’d expect, enforcement with this has been a challenge. While New York has threatened fines of up to $10,000 for breaking the quarantine requirement, at least up until last week the state hadn’t actually issued any fines.

Those flying into New York have to fill out a form sharing their information and where they’ll be staying. New York is now threatening to fine people $2,000 if they don’t fill out that form. It remains to be seen how many fines will actually be issued.

Bottom line

Since late June, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, have been requiring a 14-day quarantine for visitors from states with high COVID-19 infection rates. The travel list initially included nine states, then it was expanded to 22 states, and now it has been expanded to 31 states.

Furthermore, there’s now a threat of a $2,000 fine for not filling out the form sharing your contact information when you arrive in the state.

What do you make of this tri-state 14-day quarantine?

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