Rhode Island will target any drivers with out-of-state license plates trying to enter the state in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday last week, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced local law enforcement officials would pull over drivers with New York license plates and force them to self-quarantine for 14 days. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wasn’t too pleased about this and threatened to sue if Rhode Island didn’t repeal the restriction.
Instead, Rhode Island’s governor has now signed an executive order “imposing a quarantine on all visitors from any state, by any mode of transportation who are coming in Rhode Island for non-work purposes and plan to stay.”
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Rhode Island state troopers and the national guard have established two checkpoints along I-95 and two other highways that enter the state. If an out-of-state visitor reaches one of these checkpoints, they will be asked to pull over to a rest stop and questioned. If they inform authorities that they intend on staying in Rhode Island, officials will ask them to share their contact information and impose a 14-day quarantine. Officials will have the authority to check up on them to make sure they are indeed in quarantine.
Car and Driver reports that other U.S. states are imposing similar travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19. For example, Texas has an executive order in place mandating a 14-day quarantine for anyone driving to the state from Louisiana. Florida has a similar requirement for visitors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
