NJ's COVID Quarantine List Biggest Yet; NY, PA Travel Discouraged

Tom Davis
Updated ·3 min read

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy has expanded the quarantine travel advisory list to its largest ever, now demanding travelers from 39 states and territories to quarantine for two weeks after returning – even if their travel route started in New Jersey.

Travel to neighboring and nearby states, such as New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania, is being "discouraged" but people won't be subject to the quarantine advisory.

Murphy added two states this week to the quarantine list – Arizona and Maryland – raising the total of states and territories included in the advisory to 39, marking the largest number of states on New Jersey’s quarantine list to date.

Last week, the number was 38. July 28 previously held the record for the most states included on the list at 36.

Anybody traveling south will still have to find a circuitous route since Maryland is on the quarantine list. In fact, traveling to many parts of the southern U.S. will be difficult without having to isolate upon return (see full list of states on the quarantine list below).

Delaware, however, was taken off the list. Instead, Gov. Phil Murphy is "discouraging" travel to neighboring states that would meet the quarantine travel advisory list requirements.

The travel advisory is issued for states with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positive rate over a 7-day rolling average.

Besides Delaware, neighboring states such as Connecticut and Pennsylvania now meet the criteria for New Jersey’s travel advisory. Due to the interconnected nature of the region and mode of transport between New Jersey and the three states, a 14-day quarantine is "not reasonable," Murphy said.

Nonessential travel to and from these states, however, is "highly discouraged," Murphy said.

New York and Connecticut are also discouraging non-essential travel to and from New Jersey, but they're not mandating travelers to quarantine. Read more: NJ Discourages Travel From NY As Coronavirus Infections Rise

Anyone returning from the designated states on the advisory list should self-quarantine at their home, hotel or other temporary lodging, Murphy said, and only leave for medical care or essential items.

“As cases continue to rise in our state, we must stay vigilant and take all the necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Murphy. “It remains our top priority to ensure the safety of New Jersey residents, and we ask individuals arriving from these 39 states to get tested for COVID-19 and self-quarantine for 14 days.”

Here is the latest list:

  • Alabama

  • Alaska

  • Arizona

  • Arkansas

  • Colorado

  • Florida

  • Georgia

  • Guam

  • Idaho

  • Illinois

  • Indiana

  • Iowa

  • Kansas

  • Kentucky

  • Louisiana

  • Maryland

  • Michigan

  • Minnesota

  • Mississippi

  • Missouri

  • Montana

  • Nebraska

  • Nevada

  • New Mexico

  • North Carolina

  • North Dakota

  • Ohio

  • Oklahoma

  • Puerto Rico

  • Rhode Island

  • South Carolina

  • South Dakota

  • Tennessee

  • Texas

  • Utah

  • Virginia

  • West Virginia

  • Wisconsin

  • Wyoming

Travelers and those residents who are returning from impacted states should self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or other temporary lodging. Individuals should leave the place of self-quarantine only to seek medical care/treatment or to obtain food and other essential items.

It is expected that individuals will follow the public health advisory to self-quarantine. The list of states will be updated on a rolling basis and is accessible here.

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This article originally appeared on the Asbury Park Patch