Governor Ron DeSantis says anyone flying into Florida from corona virus “hots spots” in New York or New Jersey will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. He says after governors in those states issued orders requiring people to stay home, many started leaving for Florida. He calls it the “water balloon effect.”
“The minute you squeeze in one area, the water goes to the other part of the balloon,” DeSantis says.
DeSantis says Monday more than 190 direct flights came into the state from the New York City area.
“I would recon given the outbreak there, that every single flight has somebody on it who is positive for COVID-19,” DeSantis says. “And so as we’re working to stop it in the state of Florida, you’re consistently having people coming in from one of the top hotspots in the entire world.”
Law enforcement and health officials will meet flights coming in from New York and New Jersey. They’ll be taking people’s information and temperatures. DeSantis adds going to stay with family does not count as quarantining.
“The number-one way this is transmitted is close contact—very frequently with family members,” DeSantis says.
The governor says his hope is the new requirement will be a deterrent for people "fleeing" to Florida in an attempt to escape restrictions put in place in their home states.
