During a Friday press conference, Rhode Island’s Democratic Governor Gina Raimondo declared that the National Guard would be aiding the administration in enforcing a self-quarantine for individuals traveling to the state from New York.
The governor stated:
With respect to domestic and international air travel, until April 25, anyone returning to Rhode Island from a domestic or international flight must self-quarantine for 14 days. Special note to New York. Yesterday, I announced … anyone returning to Rhode Island after traveling from New York to Rhode island by any mode of transportation, that includes plane, train, automobile, bus – however you get here – must be in quarantine for 14 days.
That is a law; it comes with penalties; it is not a suggestion. I also would like to remind people that we have members of the National Guard stationed every day all day at T.F. Green [airport], at Amtrak train stations, at bus stops, collecting information from you when you get off so we can put you in our contact tracing system, and you are hereby ordered into quarantine for 14 days.
Raimondo later elaborated on how the New York traveler quarantine will work, and how the National Guard will be helping to effectuate it. The governor first stated that individuals from New York “present a different kind of danger” than individuals from other locations due to the fact that nearly 45% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States are from New York.
Governor Raimondo then reiterated that anyone coming from New York will be mandated to self-quarantine, and that the measure will be “enforceable by law.”
Starting today at noon, state police are monitoring our highways, they’re at the base of the Newport Bridge, they are on the side roads in Westerly, and they will be pulling you over if they see that you have New York plates, and asking you for your contact information, and ordering you into quarantine if you plan to stay in Rhode Island.
The governor further stated that the rule applies if one is staying in a “hotel,” or a “rental property,” or “your own summer home.”
“Starting tomorrow, the National Guard will be working with local law enforcement going door-to-door in our coastal communities, asking people if they’ve come from New York, and asking for their contact information,” the governor said.
According to Bloomberg, “a fine of $500 and 90 days in prison” would be “the maximum penalty for not complying” with the order.
Raimondo added that while the order is “extreme” and certain people will disagree with the decision, after consultation with attorneys, law enforcement, and the community, she believes it is a necessary move.
Steven Brown, ACLU of Rhode Island executive director, has called the governor’s order a poor move as it pertains to Fourth Amendment rights.
In a statement, Brown said in part: “The Governor has taken many steps to address this crisis that carefully balance public health needs and the civil rights of citizens. This one does not. We urge her not to follow through with such an ill-advised and unconstitutional plan.”
According to an executive order signed by Governor Raimondo on Thursday:
Whereas, one such hotspot is the State of New York which has more than … confirmed cases of COVID-19, close to half of all the reported cases in the United States; and whereas, many residents of New York State also have second homes in Rhode Island where they may be heading for refuge …
[The Governor does] hereby order and direct the following:
1. Any person coming to Rhode Island from New York State must immediately self-quarantine for 14 days. This quarantine restriction shall not apply to public health, public safety, or health care workers.
2. Any person who has come to Rhode Island from New York State within the last 14 days must immediately self-quarantine for the remainder of the 14 day period since arrival in Rhode Island.
The governor had previously issued an executive order on March 23 mandating that individuals who entered the state via “domestic airplane travel” must self-quarantine for a period of 14 days.
COVID-19, which originated in China’s Hubei province, has infected nearly 657,000 people worldwide, and led to more than 30,400 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. 139,263 people have recovered.
In New York City, which is a national hotspot for the virus, there have been more than 29,100 confirmed cases, and 517 deaths as of publication.