New Jersey on Tuesday added three states, Ohio, Michigan and Virginia, to its coronavirus travel advisory, bringing the list to 38 U.S. states and territories considered COVID-19 hotspots.
The state is asking travelers from 36 states and 2 territories to get a COVID-19 test and self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New Jersey. That includes Garden State residents returning home from a trip.
The advisory applies to any state or territory with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or those with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
The quarantine is voluntary and people traveling for businesses or passing through are exempted. But state officials say “compliance is necessary.”
New York and Connecticut have the same advisory and the same list in an effort to protect the region from the virus spreading.
States are added and removed every Tuesday. New York health officials run the calculations for who should be included.
The advisory now includes:
- Alabama (added 6/24/20)
- Alaska (re-added 9/1/20)
- Arkansas (added 6/24/20)
- Colorado (added 9/29/20)
- Delaware (re-added 9/8/20)
- Florida (added 6/24/20)
- Georgia (added 6/30/20)
- Guam (added 8/25/20)
- Idaho (added 6/30/20)
- Illinois (added 7/28/20)
- Indiana (added 7/21/20)
- Iowa (added 6/30/20)
- Kansas (added 7/7/20)
- Kentucky (added 7/28/20)
- Louisiana (added 6/30/20)
- Michigan (added 10/13/20)
- Minnesota (re-added 9/22/20)
- Mississippi (added 6/30/20)
- Missouri (added 7/21/20)
- Montana (re-added 9/1/20)
- Nebraska (added 7/21/20)
- Nevada (re-added 9/22/20)
- New Mexico (re-added 10/6/20)
- North Carolina (added 6/24/20)
- North Dakota (added 7/21/20)
- Ohio (re-added 10/13/20)
- Oklahoma (added 7/7/20)
- Puerto Rico (re-added 9/15/20)
- Rhode Island (re-added 9/22/20)
- South Carolina (added 6/24/20)
- South Dakota (added 8/11/20)
- Tennessee (added 6/30/20)
- Texas (added 6/24/20)
- Utah (added 6/24/20)
- Virginia (re-added 10/13/20)
- West Virginia (added 9/8/20)
- Wisconsin (added 7/14/20)
- Wyoming (added 9/22/20)
Arizona and Virginia were removed Sept. 29. California, Hawaii, Maryland, and Ohio were removed on Sept. 15. The Virgin Islands were removed Sept. 8. Washington was removed Aug. 11. The District of Columbia was removed on Aug. 4.
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Ironically, New Jersey has been inching closer to qualifying for the list.
It’s unclear exactly what that would mean. It’s possible New Jerseyans who travel to New York or Connecticut will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days, unless they’re traveling for work.
Murphy said last week he doesn’t expect to have to issue another widespread state lockdown in New Jersey again, the way he did in March. Instead, he said, officials are more likely to institute more localized restrictions.
Asked last Thursday about what happens if New Jersey qualifies for the advisory, Murphy said state officials are “doing everything we can to keep it below the line.”
People flying into New Jersey are asked to fill out an electronic survey with information about where they live, where they traveled from, and their destination. The information is then sent to county health departments, who will call the traveler to request them to self-quarantine and explain where they can be tested for COVID-19.
Travelers can access the survey by texting “NJ Travel” to 898211, visiting covid19.nj.gov/njtravel, or scanning a QR code on posters at airports.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.