Coronavirus Update: New Jersey adds Delaware back on Travel Quarantine List

NEW YORK -- New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have added Delaware back to the list of areas from which travelers are required to quarantine for 14 days.

Alaska, which was removed last week, and Delaware, which has been added and removed several times, returned to the Tri-State Travel Advisory on Tuesday; the advisory now stands at 33 states and two territories.

New York plans to levy a $2,000 fine against certain travelers who leave airports in the state without submitting a form that says where they are arriving from and where they're going.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said the fines would apply to travelers from the list of states - including Texas and Florida - who are required to quarantine for 14 days under New York's travel advisory. New Jersey and Connecticut do not have this rule in place.

"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," New Jersey Governor 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."

The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

"New York State is moving forward in the face of a continuing crisis throughout the nation and around the world," Cuomo said. 'We've gone from one of the nation's worst infection rates to one of its best and have an infection rate below 1% for the 11th straight day, but that's no excuse for getting complacent as we add two more states to our travel advisory. Our success in this fight is determined, more than anything, by the actions each of us takes in daily life -- washing our hands, properly social distancing and wearing masks -- and by the willingness of local governments to be competent partners and to enforce state guidance. We continue to move in the right direction, but it's up to all of us to slow the spread and stay safe."

There are currently 33 states and two territories on the list, including:

--Alabama

--Alaska

--Arkansas

--Arizona

--California

--Delaware

--Florida

--Georgia

--Hawaii

--Iowa

--Idaho

--Illinois

--Indiana

--Kansas

--Kentucky

--Louisiana

--Maryland

--Minnesota

--Missouri

--Mississippi

--Montana

--North Carolina

--North Dakota

--Nebraska

--Nevada

--Oklahoma

--Puerto Rico

--South Carolina

--South Dakota

--Tennessee

--Texas

--Utah

--Virginia

--Virgin Islands

--Wisconsin

Travelers to New York from the states that are on the list must provide a location form before they leave the airport. The airlines will hand it out on the plane and it is available online. Travelers entering New York state must give the form to officials at the airport. The form must include where you came from and where you're going before you leave the airport.

Gov Cuomo says travelers must provide contact info

The contact form will be enforced in every airport in the state of New York. A traveler who leaves the airport without providing the information will receive a summons immediately and a $2,000 fine. A traveler who leaves the airport without filling out the information will also be brought to hearing in order to complete mandatory quarantine.

"Several outbreaks across New Jersey are directly tied to travel from COVID-19 hotspots nationwide," Murphy said. "In order to responsibly continue down our road back to restart and recovery, we must remain vigilant in our collective effort to beat the virus and reduce the rate of transmission. I urge those arriving from one of these nineteen states to self-quarantine and get a COVID-19 test to prevent additional flareups across the state and ensure the health and safety of their fellow New Jerseyans."

The Tri-State quarantine rules apply to anyone who travels by train, bus, car, plane and any other method of transportation, officials said. The self-quarantine is voluntary, but compliance is expected.

The advisory does not apply to any individual passing through designated states for a limited duration through the course of travel. Examples include: stopping at rest stops for vehicles, buses, and/or trains; or layovers for air travel, bus travel, or train travel.

Individuals who are traveling to New York, New Jersey or Connecticut from impacted states for business are exempt.