Everyone loves to go to Florida – which is why the Sunshine State is hard at work setting up checkpoints for New Yorkers fleeing coronavirus.With new York the epicenter of the coronavirus infection in the United States, Florida has announced it will introduce highway checkpoints to identify and stop escapees from New York State from arriving there in droves.According to Governor Ron DeSantis, the checkpoint will be set up on Interstate 95. The goal is obvious: to stem the rising tide of coronavirus coming through the state’s northern border.“I think it’s in everybody’s interest that we deal with the spread that we have here now, try to blunt it, flatten the curve, but we don’t allow importing new infections,” the governor said on Saturday, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “I think having the (Interstate) 10 and (Interstate) 95 is good, that provides the protection.”DeSantis has already taken the same step on Interstate 10 to keep people from arriving from the state of Louisiana, which has reported in excess of 3,000 coronavirus cases. Travelers arriving from bayou country are required by law to self-quarantine for 14 days.“While travelers flying from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut must self-quarantine for two weeks or face a 60-day jail sentence, it was unclear if motorists hailing from the tri-state would have to follow the same guidelines,” reported the New York Post. “It’s unclear how Florida plans to enforce the mandate, but Desantis said people could be “held accountable if they buck the law.”The Florida Department of Transportation tweeted that “Under the direction of Executive Order 20-86 by Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Transportation, in coordination with Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), is providing guidance to motorists entering Florida from areas with significant community spread.”Effective immediately, motorists who are traveling from areas with substantial community spread including Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, will be required to isolate for a period of 14 days upon entry to Florida or for the duration of their visit, whichever is shorter, and should be prepared for additional monitoring by DOH to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.“Executive Order 20-86 does not apply to persons performing military, emergency, health or infrastructure response, or persons involved in any commercial activity, including individuals that live in Georgia and commute to work in Florida,” it continued. “Upon entry in Florida, each arriving traveler or responsible family member (if traveling as a family) will be required to complete a traveler form. The form requires key information, including each traveler’s contact information and trip details. Failure to complete the form and failure to follow any isolation or quarantine order from DOH are a violation of Florida law.”
