Florida implementing mandatory 14-day isolation for anyone traveling from New York or New Jersey

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Monday he will sign an executive order that imposes a two-week quarantine on people traveling to Florida from New Jersey or New York amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.  

“Anybody traveling from those regions in New York or New Jersey to the state of Florida is going to have to do a mandatory 14-day self-isolation,” DeSantis said in a press briefing. “That’s the only way that we can be sure that that virus is not going to be reintroduced in the state of Florida and then spread.”  

DeSantis said he has spoken with President Trump on the matter. 

The governor’s comments come as he faces growing pressure from the public and Democrats in the state to implement a stay-at-home order, similar to what has been done in New York and New Jersey. 

DeSantis said earlier Monday that “huge amounts” of New Yorkers are flying to the Sunshine State as a result of the stay-at-home order. 

“If you look at what happened in New York, when they did the stay at home order, what did people do?” the governor said. “Well, a lot of people fled the city. We’re getting huge amounts of people flying in.”

DeSantis faced criticism last week for his lack of action on crowded Florida beaches amid the pandemic. The Miami Herald’s editorial board published a scathing op-ed on Sunday that accused the governor of “working overtime to preserve our status as the world’s leading exporter of political comedy.”

Additionally, #FloridaLockDown trended online Sunday, calling for DeSantis to take further action in combating the spread of the virus. 

DeSantis closed the beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties late last week and directed all of Florida’s state parks to shutter on Monday. 

He also closed gyms and fitness centers and ended in-dining service in restaurants Friday.