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On August 5, Florida State Governor Ron DeSantis rescinded the travel restrictions that have been in place on travelers from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
DeSantis first implemented the travel restriction on March 23 when New York City and the Tri-State area were experiencing a massive spike in positive cases and stated, “Travelers entering the state of Florida from Connecticut, New Jersey, or New York must self-isolate for 14 days from their entry into Florida or the duration of their stay, whichever is shorter.”
Read More: Florida Extends Requirement for Tri-State Area Visitors to Isolate
At the time of this article’s original publication, Governor DeSantis had not yet given a reason for why he has dropped the restrictions. We at Inside the Magic will continue to update this story as more information comes to light.
FL Travel Restrictions Recap
According to Florida’s Department of Health, the travel restrictions on travelers from the Tri-State area was defined as the following,
Governor DeSantis directed all individuals entering the state of Florida from the New York Tri-State Area (Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York) to isolate or quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of entry into Florida or the duration of the individual’s presence in Florida, whichever is shorter. This includes persons entering Florida by roadways.
- This order was extended in Section 3 of Executive Order Number 20-139 (Effective on June 5th).
- This Executive Order does not apply to individuals involved in commercial activity and students traveling for the purpose of academic work, internships, sports training and any other activity or program approved by the educational institution.
- All persons isolating or quarantining will be responsible for all costs associated with their isolation or quarantine. This includes transportation, lodging, food, medical care and any other expenses to sustain the individual during their period of isolation or quarantine.
- Roadside checkpoints are set up on interstates to check for potential COVID-19 cases coming into Florida from areas with substantial community spread of the virus. The checkpoints do not apply to commercial drivers or health workers.
However, this restriction came under scrutiny as Florida began to see its own surge in COVID-19 cases, accounting for a grand total of over 500,000 positive cases recorded since March.
In July, New York responded by initiating its own travel restrictions on all travelers coming from Florida, saying that travelers could face a $2,000 fine for not letting authorities know where you were coming from and where you were going.
The travel restrictions from both states came into effect at the same time the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort were preparing for their phased reopenings and added more complications for would-be Guests looking to return to their favorite theme park.
Please keep in mind that there are several other states which have enacted their own interstate travel restrictions. If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World Resort, check to see if your state has any restrictions in place regarding travel to and from Florida.
Related: Disney Bound? Keep These Travel Restrictions in Mind
