Mississippi travelers among those expected to quarantine if traveling to three hard hit states

If you’re planning to travel to New York state, New Jersey or Connecticut any time soon, expect to spend two weeks in quarantine before being able to enjoy the sights.

Mississippi is among 17 states identified by high rates of new infections, meaning more than 10 cases per 100,000 people on a seven-day rolling average.

Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, announced the quarantine advisory in a joint news conference last week with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. All three governors are Democrats, and all three states have been hit exceptionally hard by COVID-19. With cases now declining in their states, the governors are attempting to guard that progress from travelers from other states.

Cuomo said the move is not a “blockade,” The Hill newspaper reported, and indicated that police would not be patrolling the borders of the states. He did say that people could be subject to judicial orders for a mandatory quarantine or fines of $2,000 for the first offense for violating the quarantine.

People could be discovered by hotel clerks, other people in business meetings, or if they are stopped by police and have out-of-state plates.

Nine states were included in the announcement last week. Tuesday, another eight states were added, including Mississippi. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah, Tennessee and Texas

If you’re traveling to New York from the following states you must self-quarantine for 14 days.

The states are: AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IA, ID, LA, MS, NC, NV, SC, TN, TX, UT.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 30, 2020