Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order Sunday, requiring anyone traveling into Texas from Louisiana and other states to be self-quarantined for 14 days in an effort to combat the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.
Texas state troopers will stop motorists traveling from Louisiana into Texas, requiring them to provide a designated quarantine location within the state. If travelers exhibit any symptoms of coronavirus, state troopers will escort them to their designated quarantine location.
“DPS Special Agents will conduct unannounced visits to designated quarantine locations to verify compliance by confirming the physical presence of covered persons,” the executive order reads.
However, commercial activity, emergency response, and critical infrastructure responsibilities between states are exempt and will function as normal.
#BREAKING:
Governor @GregAbbott_TX issues executive order banning people from traveling into Texas from Louisiana.State troopers will stop motorists.
Commercial activity, emergency response or critical infrastructure responsibilities is okay.
— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) March 29, 2020
While initially reported as a travel “ban,” Abbott’s office clarified that personal travel from Louisiana is not banned, only a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
This announcement comes as reported cases of COVID-19 in Texas increased by 619 percent in the span of one week.
According to the Longview News-Journal, Abbott said he is dramatically expanding a previous executive order that requires a 14-day self-quarantine for anyone flying into Texas from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or New Orleans.
A 14-day quarantine is now also mandated for individuals flying to Texas from Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, California, and Washington.
Abbott also announced Texas’s first pop-up hospital created to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
