CDC issues travel advisory for NY tri-state area after Trump says quarantine not necessary

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel advisory late Saturday night for the New York tri-state area after President Trump said he had requested the measure in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. 

The news comes hours after the president said he was considering a short-term quarantine of “hot spots” in parts of the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. These states have fluid populations that travel in and out of New York City, where cases of COVID-19 and deaths due to the disease continue to rise at an alarming rate.

In a series of tweets posted by Trump on Saturday night, the president noted that after consultation with members of his administration and local leaders, a travel advisory, not an “enforced quarantine,” would be the proper measure to take in the region. 

“On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the Federal Government. A quarantine will not be necessary,” Trump tweeted. 

On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020

The CDC finalized the notice late Saturday night. 

The advisory discourages people living in those three states from traveling domestically. It does not apply to those employed by critical infrastructure industries, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, who often commute between the three states.  

“Due to extensive community transmission of COVID-19 in the area, CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately,” the CDC said in an email to reporters.

As of Saturday evening, New York has more than 52,000 confirmed cases and 728 reported deaths, New Jersey has more than 11,000 confirmed cases and 140 reported deaths, and Connecticut has more than 1,000 confirmed cases and 27 reported deaths.  

The CDC currently has advisories discouraging people from nonessential travel, though the advisory does not specify particular parts of the country. The State Department has issued travel restrictions on certain countries hit hardest by the virus, such as China, Italy and Spain. 

However, some states have taken it upon themselves to discourage travel to other parts of the country and have instructed people to quarantine themselves if they enter certain states from COVID-19 “hot spots.” 

On Friday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced that any person entering the state will now be instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days and asked people not to “travel to our communities, especially if you have symptoms.”

The same day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) also announced a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for any traveler entering the state from Louisiana, which has seen an explosion of coronavirus cases.

Rhode Island’s governor, Gina Raimondo (D), issued an order Friday enacting new measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus that would allow law enforcement officers to stop cars and collect information about motorists should they have New York license plates, according to a report from Bloomberg.