August 12, 2020
Anyone traveling to New Jersey from Hawaii, South Dakota, and Virgin Islands is now encouraged to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, as both states and the U.S. territory have been added to the Garden State’s COVID-19 travel advisory.
However, Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Rhode Island were removed from the list, which currently stands at 33 states and territories.
The travel advisory, which was implemented alongside New York and Connecticut in June, 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, such as Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Rhode Island, 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, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
“To protect the steady progress we’ve made on our road back, we need everyone who has traveled to one of these impacted states or territories to practice self-responsibility,” Gov. Phil Murphy said.
“I strongly encourage all individuals arriving from a hotspot to proactively get a COVID-19 test and self-quarantine to reduce transmission across our state.”
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.
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