In an announcement made on Wednesday, the governors representing New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York said they'd be implementing a mandatory quarantine for people coming into their states from states that are considered COVID-19 hotspots. Though you may be skeptical of its implementation if you've been paying attention to any previous "mandatory quarantines," this joint plan is part of a coordinated effort to keep the infection rates in their states low, as almost half the states in the U.S. deal with two-month highs, according to NBC New York.
The order is set to officially begin at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It won't prevent people from traveling, but it's supposed to be active for people coming in from places like Florida, Texas, and other states dealing with a surge at the moment. Incoming travelers/residents will need to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, with reminders being lined up in airports and highways. NBC New York reports that hotels will also be asked to tell guests about the rule as well.
The intent is to prevent the states from experiencing a second wave. As you may remember, New York City formerly held the unenviable distinction of being America's virus epicenter. That was months ago, though, and it now holds one of the lower transmission rates in the country, with new data from COVID Act Now showing that the three states listed above (along with Massachusetts) are the only ones in the U.S. currently on the path to containing the virus.
The goal is to keep it that way.
"We need to do things right inside the four walls in our respective states," said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, alongside the other two. "The last thing we need to do right now is to subject our folks to another round."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that the quarantine rule will apply to anyone coming from a state in which 10+ out of every 100,000 people are sick with the disease, or where 10+ percent of people being tested turn up positive. Those infection-rate stats will be updated and adjusted on a weekly basis.
A list of states currently hitting those marks is made up of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
NBC News reports that since March, more than 604,000 people from the tri-state region have contracted the disease. Out of those confirmed, more than 41,000 have died.
That said, the trio was hit hard in the early months. While it's not as good of a number as zero, less than 30 people are currently dying daily in New York, way down from the 800+ per day figure that was racking up at the virus' peak.
