June 25, 2020
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont today announced a joint incoming travel advisory. All individuals traveling from states with significant community spread of COVID-19 must quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state.
This quarantine – effective midnight Wednesday – applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut will continually update and publish on their respective websites a list of states to which the new advisory applies. This information will be updated regularly.
The tri-state measure will use uniform parameters and messaging on highways, airports, websites, and social media across the three states. The three states will also ask hotels to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests who have traveled from one of the impacted states.
“Over the course of the past few months, our states have taken aggressive action to flatten the curve and beat back the coronavirus,” Governor Murphy said, “As a result of our collective efforts, we have low infection rates, falling hospitalizations, and have steadily been reopening our economies. Unfortunately, many states continue to have high transmission rates. We are proud to work with our partners in New York and Connecticut on a joint incoming travel advisory to ensure continued progress against this virus and to keep residents of the tri-state area safe.”
“We have a very real problem right now where many states are experiencing an increased spread of the COVID-19 virus, just as New York is seeing the lowest infection rate,” Governor Cuomo said. “We’ve been working with our neighboring states throughout this pandemic, and we have agreed to a joint incoming travel advisory with New Jersey and Connecticut that all individuals who are traveling from other states with high infection rates must quarantine for 14 days to help prevent a renewed spread of the virus. We know the transmission rate in every state, and we want to make sure what’s happening in these states with the highest transmission rate doesn’t happen here and erase all the tremendous progress we’ve made.”
“Working together as a region has proven to be immensely successful as our respective states are leading the country when it comes to our response with low infection and positivity rates relative to increased testing capacity,” Governor Lamont said. “We have made difficult decisions throughout this pandemic, but we have proven to make many of the right decisions. This step to inform travelers form states with hot spots to self-isolate is meant to protect our residents and maintain our incredible public health progress."
More Business Openings in NJ
Governor Murphy announced that libraries, museums, aquariums, and indoor recreation activities such as bowling alleys, batting cages, shooting ranges, and boardwalk arcades, can reopen on July 2. The indoor facilities will be subject to a 25% capacity restriction.
Gyms and fitness centers will also be allowed to reopen on July 2, but only for individualized training by appointment only.
Murphy added that indoor entertainment venues, such as movie theaters, performing arts centers, concert venues and nightclubs will remain closed at this time.
“We will require all of these places to implement heightened standards of sanitation as well as other measures to allow proper standards of social distancing and the wearing of face coverings at all times,” Murphy said.
NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT rail and light rail will return to full weekday schedules on Monday, July 6.
“NJ TRANSIT is taking this step now, before ridership increases to higher levels with businesses and offices coming back online, to provide the runway that it needs to properly communicate its social distancing protocols among commuters,” Murphy said.
Stay safe,
Rich Higgins, CPA
Managing Principal - New Jersey Office
McCarthy & Company
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