Anyone arriving in Florida from airports in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut during the coronavirus outbreak will have to self quarantine for two weeks or risk facing criminal charges, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared in an executive order, CNN has reported.
DeSantis, in explaining the directive at a press conference, said “there's over 190 direct flights from the New York City area to the state of Florida, and I would reckon, given the outbreak there, that every single flight has somebody on it who's positive for Covid-19."
The Republican governor added that health and law enforcement officials will take information from every passenger arriving on flights from those states, including people who are intending to stay with family in Florida.
The executive order, issued on Monday, states that any violation would be a second degree misdemeanor that could include jail time, a fine or both.
DeSantis said he spoke with President Donald Trump about New York-area residents fleeing to his state, which has a much lower rate of the coronavirus, but has not yet received any federal help in dealing with the problem, according to the New York Post.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the decision by DeSantis, saying “I’m not sure it’s the most enlightened approach.”