Delaware rejoins New Jersey’s COVID-19 travel advisory for a third time during pandemic

For the third time since the travel advisory was implemented in June, Delaware travelers are encouraged once again to self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival to New Jersey.

After being removed from the list last week, Alaska was also added again to the travel advisory, which now consists of 35 states and territories.

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Delaware’s reinsertion into New Jersey’s COVID-19 travel advisory comes as the state has one of the highest coronavirus case rates per 100,000 residents across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

While the state has had among the fewest number of new cases across the U.S., Delaware’s COVID-19 case rate per capita over the last seven days has been measured at 90.6, according to the Philadelphia Department of Health.

Delaware was added to the travel advisory twice in July. It was most recently removed earlier this month.

The travel advisory, which was implemented alongside New York and Connecticut, applies to travelers from states where the COVID-19 transmission rate is higher than 10 people per 100,000 residents or more than 10% of the population has tested positive. Both of those criteria are calculated using a seven-day, rolling average. 

States and territories are removed from the list once they are no longer exceeding these benchmarks and experiencing significant COVID-19 transmission. The travel advisory is updated on a weekly basis.

The travel advisory also currently applies to Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Virgin Islands, and Wisconsin.

“We cannot allow the tremendous progress we’ve made on our road back to serve as an excuse to let our guard down,”Gov. Phil Murphy said.

“It remains critically important for anyone arriving to New Jersey from these 35 states and territories to get tested for COVID-19 and self-quarantine for 14 days.”

During the self-quarantine period, people are instructed to remain in their homes, hotels or other places of lodging for two weeks. They should only leave to seek medical attention or obtain necessary items, such as food. 

New Jersey residents returning home from COVID-19 hotspots also are urged to follow the voluntary self-isolation protocols.

Similar to New Jersey, both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia have also implemented travel restrictions to Delaware due to the number of new COVID-19 cases per capita in the state.

While Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 travel restrictions currently do not apply to Delaware, Philly health officials are still urging residents not to travel to the state.