5 more Connecticut residents fined for violating COVID-19 travel rules
Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration has fined five more individuals $1,000 each for violating his travel restrictions and coronavirus quarantine policy.
The latest penalties brings the total number of people fined since Lamont issued the executive order on July 21 to seven. The governor announced the first two fines Monday.
“The travel advisory is serious and Governor Lamont is trying to take every step possible in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to protect as many Connecticut residents as possible,” said Max Reiss, the governor’s communications director.
Four Stamford residents who visited North Carolina and an Old Lyme resident who visited Texas each were fined $1,000 for failing to submit a travel advisory form to the state Department of Public Health.
The administration did not release the names of the individuals who were fined.
Lamont’s executive order mandates that any individual visiting Connecticut from a state with high coronavirus infection rates must file a form in advance of their arrival here. This applies both to visiting residents of other states as well as to Connecticut residents returning here after travel to COVID-19 hot spots.
Those entering Connecticut from one of these states also are directed to quarantine for 14 days. Medical and public safety personnel, government staff and certain other essential workers may be exempted from this quarantine requirement, provided they obtain a negative coronavirus test result three days prior to their return to Connecticut.
The restriction applies to visitors from any state where 10% or more of all coronavirus tests are positive, on average, over the previous seven days.
The administration currently has 32 states on the restricted list, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Lamont announced the first two fines on Monday. A Hartford resident who visited Florida was fined $1,000 for failure to file a travel advisory form. And an individual from Putnam was fined $2,000 after failing both to file an advisory form and for refusing to quarantine upon returning to Connecticut.
Administration officials say those fined have five days to file an appeal with the Department of Public Health.
Keith M. Phaneuf is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (www.ctmirror.org). Copyright 2020 © The Connecticut Mirror.
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