Coronavirus surge could cause Tennessee travelers to face 14-day quarantine: 'We blew it'
A member of the local COVID-19 task force in Memphis issued the warning
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennessee residents hoping to take part in domestic travel this summer may be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving in certain states if the rise in cases of the novel coronavirus within the Volunteer State is not better controlled, a health expert warned this week.
“We are one to two weeks behind from being added to the quarantine list. There is definitely that possibility based on the rate of growth that we are seeing,” Dr. Jeff Warren, a member of the local COVID-19 task force in Memphis, told local news station WREG.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“When we went to Phase 2 we blew it,” he added. “People thought we got this thing licked, and we said, we’re starting to open up, and instead of opening up and being careful, we acted like things were back to normal.”
Like many other states across the nation, Tennessee has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, with the state officials identifying at least 800 new cases and 11 additional virus-linked deaths on Thursday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Warren’s warning comes after the governors from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey this week announced that individuals traveling to the tri-state area from states experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in a virtual joint-press conference on Wednesday announced a joint travel advisory that will require individuals traveling from states including Arkansas, Alabama, Arizona, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Utah and Washington to quarantine for 14 days.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“In order to keep our businesses open and not be quarantined from traveling to New York and other parts of the country, what we’ll need to do is wear your mask indoors and outdoors in crowds, wash your hand frequently and you’ll need to social distance,” Warren added.
Fox News’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.