Florida governor announces mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for anyone traveling from Louisiana

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine on any travelers entering the state from Louisiana, which has seen an explosion of coronavirus cases.

The move comes as an addition to an executive order already in place requiring people coming into the Sunshine State from New York or New Jersey to self-isolate for two weeks. 

“I will be adding to my New York executive order, we will be requiring the same for travelers from New Orleans, Louisiana and other parts of Louisiana to self-isolate for 14 days,” DeSantis said from his office. “We are going to be authorizing the use of checkpoints on the roads coming into Florida for the counties and the Florida Highway Patrol.”

Louisiana has seen a sharp spike in coronavirus cases since the disease first hit the state just over two weeks ago. More than 2,700 cases have been reported there, and at least 119 people have died.

Louisiana cases of COVID-19 have risen so drastically that Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) warned this week that New Orleans could run out of ventilators by early April. 

President Trump this week approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana, and Edwards has issued a stay-at-home order to blunt the spread of the highly infectious virus.

Beyond the self-isolation orders, DeSantis has also shuttered the beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties, closed gyms and fitness centers and ended in-dining service in restaurants. However, he has been hammered by critics for declining to close the state’s crowded beaches as the outbreak emerged and not issuing a statewide stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order.