Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Wednesday announced a travel advisory applying to individuals entering the state from hotspots of the novel coronavirus.
The travel advisory will require individuals hailing from states reporting positivity rates of 15 percent or more, to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the Buckeye State. Ohio’s positivity rate has hovered around 6.2 percent, according to the governor’s office.
“This advisory is intended for both leisure and business travel and should be heeded by both Ohioans and out-of-state travelers,” according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Nine states are currently on the list: Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Idaho, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas.
“I know this will be hard and is a sacrifice, especially as summer vacations are in full force, but when we have a higher likelihood of being exposed, we should take precautions to limit the exposure of others,” DeWine said.
If you’re traveling from one of these yellow states, you should self-quarantine at home or in a hotel. This applies to those who live in Ohio and those traveling here from these states, whether they are traveling for businesses or vacationing. pic.twitter.com/M4A8khBniX
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) July 22, 2020
Similarly, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut also have a travel advisory in place, which now covers travelers from 31 states. The criteria are tighter than Ohio’s, applying to those coming from states with a “positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average” or “a testing positivity rate of higher than a 10% over a seven-day rolling average,” according to the advisory.
DeWine also announced a statewide mask mandate on Wednesday, which goes into effect Thursday at 6:00 p.m.