New York: Quarantine imposed on eight states

New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York have asked people to go into self-isolation for 14 days if they have traveled from states where COVID-19 cases are rising. New Jersey’s Phil Murphy said people in the three states had been “through hell and back” and did not want “another round” of virus infections. COVID-19 cases are increasing rapidly in some southern and western states.

The University of Washington has predicted that COVID-19 could take 180,000 U.S. lives by October or 146,000 lives if 95% of America wears masks. On Wednesday White House spokesman Judd Deere said the quarantine would not be imposed on President Trump. Trump is in Arizona and is due in New Jersey at the weekend.

Deere said, “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.” US has more than 2.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases till now. 121,000 Americans have lost their lives fighting the virus. Health officials are warning the coming weeks will be crucial to stem the outbreaks.

On Tuesday America’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told lawmakers there was “a disturbing surge of infection” and “increased community spread” in many southern and western states. He told Americans to observe social distancing measures. He said, “Plan A, don’t go in a crowd. Plan B, if you do, make sure you wear a mask.”

New York state governor Andrew Cuomo told reports that the states subjected to quarantine are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. People coming from these eight states- including New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York residents- will be asked to go into self-isolation and quarantine upon arrival for 14 days. Cuomo said anyone found breaking the quarantine could face fines of $1,000 (£800) rising to $5,000 for repeated violations.