Coronavirus | Featured Stories

By Beth Stibal |

U.S. Travel Association Blasts New York’s COVID-19 Quarantine Order

The U.S. Travel Association is blasting New York and the tri-state area for its new quarantine travel advisory.

Gov. Cuomo of New York, along with leaders from New Jersey and Connecticut, announced Wednesday that anyone traveling from states with high COVID-19 rates, including Florida, will have to self-quarantine for two weeks when they arrive north.

“It’s only for the simple reason that we worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate go down,” said Cuomo. “We don’t want to see it go back up because a lot of people come into this region and they could literally bring the infection with them.”

The advisory applies to Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Texas.

However, Tori Emerson Barnes, the Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy for the association, believes the quarantine is not a good move.

“States imposing new travel restrictions is not the direction we want to be heading for jobs and the economy,” wrote Barnes. “Medical experts have said that it should be possible for travel to gradually resume in phases as long as travelers and travel businesses embrace guidance on good health and safety practices.”

She continues, “At this stage there is no debate that people should be wearing masks, and we need that to happen so the country can get moving again and people can get back to work.”

Gov. DeSantis issued a similar executive order last March for travelers from the tri-state area, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus here. At that time, Florida had just over 5,400 cases of the virus and 63 deaths. The state now has more than 114,000 cases and and 3,327 deaths.

President Trump says he does not plan to abide by the quarantine directive in an upcoming trip to New Jersey.

“The President of the United States is not a civilian. Anyone who is in close proximity to him, including staff, guests, and press are tested for COVID-19 and confirmed to be negative,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement to CNN.