(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed an executive order strengthening his previously enacted travel advisory for anyone entering Connecticut from states with high infection and positivity rates for COVID-19. The order changes the travel advisory to mandatory and has been taken in conjunction with similar measures by the governors of New Jersey and New York. Under the new order, failure to comply may result in a $1,000 penalty imposed by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH).
Travelers will now be required to complete a form upon entry into Connecticut stating their name, date of birth, state of origin, estimated length of stay and location while in Connecticut, as well as contact information. The form is required to be submitted to DPH and can be completed online by visiting ct.gov/travelform.
The tri-state, regional travel advisory applies to anyone entering Connecticut, New Jersey, or New York from a state that has a new daily positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average. Currently, there are 31 states that meet this criteria and are included in the travel advisory. Full information on the travel advisory, including the list of impacted states, which is updated on a weekly basis, can be found online by visiting ct.gov/coronavirus/travel.
“With infection rates out of control in much of the South, Midwest, and Southwest, and many tourists coming to Connecticut for summer vacation, I have made the determination that we need an enforceable quarantine order to keep Connecticut residents as safe as possible,” Governor Lamont said. “In taking this action, I am empowering the Department of Public Health to hold travelers accountable with significant fines for anyone not following the rules. While we do have a very low COVID-19 positivity rate in our state right now, that can change very rapidly, and this is no time to relax about taking every precaution we can to slow down the spread of the virus.”
Signs with information on the requirement to fill out the travel form will be on display in Connecticut airports, train stations, highway rest areas and travel centers, and ferry terminals. DPH personnel are being deployed to Bradley International Airport to inform incoming travelers about the requirement and direct them to fill out the form. The Connecticut Department of Transportation will also be posting new electronic highway signage communicating the requirement.
Exemptions to the quarantine rule remain in place for essential workers on work-related travel. The quarantine does not apply to anyone arriving to Connecticut from a connecting flight from an impacted state, so long as their state of origin is not subject to the quarantine order.
For more information, visit the State of Connecticut’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.
**Download: Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7III