You have to quarantine when coming to NJ from most states
New Jersey on Tuesday once again expanded the list of states from which travelers are required to quarantine after entering the Garden State.
New Jersey expanded its list to 34 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It had most recently included 31 states considered hotspots for the novel coronavirus.
The list now is: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin
New Jersey began instituting the requirement for a handful of a states last month, and has been growing its list since. The quarantines are considered mandatory, though the state has no strong enforcement mechanism attached to them and asks travelers to cooperate of their own accord.
The requirement applies to any state with a COVID-19 test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average, New Jersey officials have previously said.
“New Jersey’s restart and recovery process relies on our collective effort and commitment to beating COVID-19 and driving down rates of transmission across our state,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a news release Tuesday. “Individuals traveling from these states must remain vigilant in their actions and proactively get a COVID-19 test and self-quarantine to prevent additional outbreaks from spreading throughout New Jersey.”
New Jersey is asking travelers from those states, or residents who visit them, to self-quarantine at their homes, hotels or other temporary lodging. It says they should only leave to obtain essential items or medical care.
The Department of Health has said the advisory does not apply to those passing through the state such as a truck driver or any state, local and federal workers traveling in their official capacities on government business.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance on coronavirus quarantines — cutting the length of time it recommends an asymptomatic person should quarantine after a positive test to 10 days, from 14. It also said most people with symptoms should isolate for 10 days after the onset, though it recommends 20 days in cases of severe illness.
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