Residents of all three states are to avoid non-essential domestic travel for the next 14 days, excluding those in “critical infrastructure industries.” Governor Phil Murphy said New Jersey’s stay-at-home order is still in effect.
By Matt Skoufalos | March 29, 2020
COVID-19 Update – 3-28-20. Credit: State of New Jersey.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a rare domestic travel advisory, urging residents of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut not to travel domestically for the next two weeks to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The guidance was issued late Saturday night.
It asks residents of the three states, which have been hammered by the virus, “to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.”
Excluded from the advisory are “critical infrastructure” workers, including those in trucking, public health, finance, and food.
The agency noted that it “does not generally issue advisories or restrictions for travel within the United States,” but that community spread of COVID-19 is a concern.
Before traveling, CDC asks Americans to consider risks to their safety from COVID-19, including their ability to self-quarantine, the likelihood of contracting the virus, its spread among communities they’re traveling to and from, and whether they have family members who are elderly or have compromised immune systems.
In a statement, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the “non-binding advisory guidance does not change the rules that have been established” under his stay-at-home order of March 21.
“If you have been working as part of our frontline response effort, from health care workers to supermarket workers, we still need you on the job,” Murphy wrote.
“I encourage all New Jerseyans to continue practicing aggressive social distancing and take personal responsibility to help us get through this public health emergency.“
New Jersey has seen more than 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the month, and despite state-wide restrictions on travel and business, those counts continue to climb.
A CDC spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment; check back for updates.
Read our ongoing round-up of COVID-19 coverage here.
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