39 states and territories included in updated quarantine advisory for people traveling to New Jersey as governor discourages interstate travel

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy advised residents Tuesday to avoid non-essential interstate travel between New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three neighboring states now meet the criteria for New Jersey’s travel advisory, but Murphy said the interconnected nature of the region and modes of transportation between New Jersey and the three states mean a 14-day quarantine is not feasible in all cases. Non-essential travel to and from the states is highly discouraged. 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,” Murphy said.

A total of 39 states and territories with significant COVID-19 community spread are now included in the latest travel advisory issued by the state. Travelers to New Jersey are being asked to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of their last contact within the states or 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.

The latest advisory includes the addition of Arizona and Maryland. As of Tuesday, October 20, the following other states and territories are included in the travel advisory: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, 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.

“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,” Murphy said.

Travelers and residents who are returning from the 39 states and territories should self-quarantine at their homes, at hotels, or other temporary lodging places. They should leave the place of self-quarantine only to seek medical care or to get food and other essential items. State officials expect that people will follow the public health advisory to self-quarantine. The list of states is updated on a rolling basis and is accessible online.