Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is open to the idea of working with neighboring states to have visitors self-quarantine for two weeks if they are coming from parts of the U.S. with high rates of COVID-19, he said Monday, noting Connecticut cannot take its current low infection and hospitalization rates for granted.
Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, possibly in conjunction with other states in the region, are expected to release details soon about a potential partnership where each would require people from high-COVID states to prove they’ve tested negative in the recent past, or else self-quarantine, Lamont said.
“We are talking about some sort of a regional quarantine. If these folks want to come to the New York metropolitan area, the Boston metropolitan area. Perhaps they should show that they’ve been tested in the very recent past or they should quarantine,” Lamont said. “We’re going to have some guidance on that very, very soon.”
Lamont, who spoke Monday with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo about the concept, said he could envision people who fly into one of the region’s airports being notified of the need to self-quarantine unless they’ve recently tested positive. Although, he acknowledged it might be difficult for people to self-isolate for two weeks, considering they may not be planning to stay that long in the state.
“I see this in Maine and some other states where they’re just requiring the testing coming up,” he said. “I think it makes good sense.”
Cuomo, in a Today Show interview Tuesday, also said the quarantine was under consideration.
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“We just have to make sure that other states don’t infect us now," he said. “It’s not just Florida. You have about half the states in this country, you’re seeing the virus going up.”
“We’re seriously considering a quarantine just to make sure that people who come in from states with higher infections don’t inadvertently increase our infection rate," he added.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or lead to death.
