Coronavirus Arizona: Travelers From 3 States Must Quarantine

ARIZONA — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a series of coronavirus-related executive orders Tuesday, including one that requires travelers to Arizona from hard-hit states New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The order says travelers from those areas “shall travel directly to their place of isolation of self-quarantine and only leave that location for essential services.”

The new virus is widespread in Arizona, where 2,726 people have been sickened and at least 80 have died, according to Department of Health Services numbers released Wednesday. The death toll reached staggering proportions in New York, where more than 4,000 of the more than 13,000 U.S. deaths (as of Wednesday morning) have occurred. In New Jersey, more than 44,400 people have been sickened and 1,232 have died; in Connecticut, more than 7,780 people have been sickened and 277 have died.

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Ducey’s executive order doesn’t rule out similar restrictions on travelers from other states and does not apply to airline staff, military personnel, health care workers or essential government and infrastructure employees. The governor said those employees should follow federal social distancing guidelines and wear masks.

Violators of the order could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor and fined up to $2,500.

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At a news conference Tuesday, Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said the agency will work with airports to make sure travelers are aware of the new requirements.

The order was one of four announced by the governor at Tuesday’s news conference.

He also issued an order outlining steps to protect vulnerable patients at nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Those measures include:

• Checking everyone who enters the staff for symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and urging staff to use personal protective equipment if available.
• Separating residents who are or may be infected from those who are not and using “separate, consistent staffing teams” for the different groups.
• When patients require hospitalization, facilities must develop a protocol to readmit them when they have been released from the hospital.
• Provide the technology to residents to use applications such as FaceTime and Skype so family members can have visual contact with their loved ones.

Another order increases the coronavirus data that hospitals must report, including:

• The number of patients with either confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections.
• The number of patients with the illness who are seen in emergency rooms.
• The number of coronavirus patients who have dismissed.
• The number of ventilators and intensive care beds used for patients with the coronavirus illness.
• The number of intubations performed for respiratory distress.
• The number of N95 masks, surgical masks, face shields and surgical gowns used.

Finally, Ducey said restaurants with unused commodities on hand may repackage and sell grocery items if they follow proper food safety and social distancing guidelines. Selling those items may “generate more revenue to pay the bill and help with payroll,” Ducey said.

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