NJ Updates Coronavirus Travel Quarantine For 31 States

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey updated its list of states in its travel advisory on Tuesday, shrinking the overall number subjected to quarantine even as the resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak continues across the country. Two new states have been added.

A total of 31 states, as well as two territories, are now included in the advisory, which "demands" travelers to quarantine for 14 days.

If you're going anywhere south, you'll still likely have to find a circuitous route in order to comply with the quarantine advisory, since nearly every state from Florida all the way up to Maryland is on the list. Indeed, you may have issues with traveling anywhere in the country (see list of states below).

Gov. Phil Murphy said Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Rhode Island have been removed from the list, while Hawaii and South Dakota now meet the state's metrics to qualify for the advisory.

The update comes as the number of cases ticked up to 185,475 on Tuesday, and 14,037 confirmed deaths have been reported. Murphy announced 498 new cases and 14 more confirmed deaths. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, School Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

New Jersey has had some recent local outbreaks, and Murphy said some of them were connected to out-of-state travel as well as indoor parties. He also took patrons at Jersey Shore bars to task this week for failing to social distance. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Numbers Better Again, But Bar Lines Anger Murphy

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

Murphy said he will not follow New York's lead and consider fining people if they don't fill out paperwork after traveling from a high-risk state. He said New Jersey's travel advisory is voluntary, although he is "demanding" that people follow the quarantine rules.

“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,” said Murphy. “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.”

Here were the states and territories identified on Aug. 11:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Illinois
• 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 and residents who are returning from impacted states should self-quarantine at their home, hotel or other temporary lodging, Murphy said. That includes people who left New Jersey, visited one of the states and then returned.

People should leave the place of self-quarantine only to seek medical care/treatment or to obtain food and other essential items.

Travelers and residents returning from impacted states typically will not need to check in with public health officials, unless they are involved in contact tracing efforts or required to do so by their employer or any other federal, state or local law or order.

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