45 states and territories now included in NJ pandemic travel advisory
Maine and New Hampshire have been added to the New Jersey travel advisory list, bringing the total number of states and territories on the list to 45 states and territories. Travelers and New Jersey residents who come to the Garden State from these locations where there is a significant community spread of COVID-19 should quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of the last contact within the state or territory.
The list now includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
The travel advisory applies to anyone 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.
State officials are also discouraging non-essential interstate travel between New Jersey and neighboring states because of the increase in the spread of the coronavirus nationwide.
“As we battle a second wave of COVID-19, stopping the spread of this deadly virus could not be more important.” Governor Phil Murphy said in a written statement. “It remains our top priority to ensure the safety of New Jersey residents, and we ask individuals arriving from these 45 states to get tested for COVID-19 and self-quarantine for 14 days.”
Travelers and residents who are returning from states and territories on the list should self-quarantine at their homes, a hotel, or another temporary lodging place. Officials said they should only leave to seek medical care or to get food and other essential items.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.