There’s a new quarantine in town! Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, has put in place a mandatory self-quarantine for any travelers coming to Texas from the state of Louisiana in hopes to slow the spread of the illness that originated in China.
This is an update from a recent executive order that required travelers from New Orleans to be on a 14 day quarantine during their visit to Texas, as reported by WBRZ.
Here’s an excerpt from Governor Abbott’s new executive order, as provided by KTRK TV:
My prior executive order about travel from New Orleans covered air travel from New Orleans into the state of Texas. Now, I am updating that executive order to also include travel by road. Travel by road from any location in the state of Louisiana. Importantly, this executive order does not apply to travel related to commercial activity, military service, emergency response, health response, or critical infrastructure functions. This order will be enforced like the order that I issued previously about travel from New Orleans. It will be enforced by the Department of Public Safety at and near entry points from Louisiana.
But Louisiana isn’t the only location they’re focusing on. Other states included are Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York – one of the most affected locations in America.
There are also fines in place for travelers who are not following the executive order. Anyone traveling from those locations mentioned earlier will be expected to complete forms provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Those forms will have the travelers record where they will be residing during their visit.
If found not in compliance, people could face 180 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or at worst – both of them.
This might seem extreme orders to many, but the goal across the country, from what appears to be – is to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the illness, eventually helping it come to a halt so Americans can get back to their normal routine.