FL Governor Quietly Lifts Travel Restriction On NY, NJ, CT

MIAMI, FL —Without any fanfare, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly lifted his four-and-a-half month travel restriction on people visiting the Sunshine State from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

DeSantis, who has been critical of the handling of the coronavirus outbreak in New York, never used the words "travel" or "restriction" in his order lifting the requirement for a two-week quarantine on visitors coming from the tri-state area. The new order was signed Wednesday and released Thursday.

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced in late June that people traveling from the Sunshine State to those three states will also face a two-week, self-quarantine when they arrive at the risk of a fine or worse.

"You can violate the quarantine until you get caught. Then when you get caught, you’re in mandatory quarantine and you’re fined thousands of dollars," New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said at the time the restriction was announced.

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Florida has surpassed New York with 510,389 confirmed cases of the virus compared to 418,928 as of Thursday.

DeSantis expanded his initial order to include people traveling from Louisiana to Florida and travelers who had already been in the state when the original order was signed on March 23. The Louisiana restriction was lifted by an earlier order.

Related:

• FL Coronavirus Cases Increase To 510,389 With 7,747 Deaths

• Floridians Face 2-Week Quarantine In NY, NJ, Connecticut

• FL Orders NY, NJ, CT Travelers To Self-Quarantine For Coronavirus

The portion of the Florida governor's order rescinding travel restrictions on the tri-state area, was included after a section requiring the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to make sure that all restaurants implement employee screening protocols in accordance with guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unlike the Florida order, which had been enforced at major airports by the Florida National Guard and Department of Health personnel, the quarantine in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut was to be enforced separately by each state and possibly only if authorities learn that someone is in violation.

This article originally appeared on the Sarasota Patch