CDC issues 'domestic travel advisory' for NY, NJ and Connecticut. Here's what it means

ALBANY -- The Centers for Disease Control issued a travel advisory urging residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to avoid out-of-state travel for 14 days due to the spread of coronavirus.

The CDC advisory issued Saturday night urges residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut "to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately."

The travel advisory exempted certain industries: "employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply. "

The CDC said the governors of the tri-state area "will have full discretion to implement this Domestic Travel Advisory."

The CDC's message came after President Donald Trump earlier in the day had suggested a more stringent quarantine on travel out of the three states as coronavirus cases grew, particularly in New York — which has the most infected people in the nation.

New York had about 52,000 positive cases of coronavirus on Saturday along with 528 deaths.

"Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it's a hot spot," Trump told reporters from the White House South Lawn as he departed for Norfolk, Va.

"I'm thinking about that right now."

More: Cuomo rips attempts to ban New Yorkers' travel to other states, vowing to sue Rhode Island

The idea drew a strong rebuke from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said the restrictions would pit state versus state and was likely illegal.

Already, governors in Texas, Florida, Maryland and South Carolina have ordered people arriving from the tri-state region to self-quarantine for at least 14 days upon arrival.

And in Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo ordered the National Guard and law enforcement to check New York license plates in the state to see if they were new arrivals and needed to self quarantine, including sending authorities door to door in vacation communities.

Cuomo threatened to sue Rhode Island over the move.

"I think that's a reactionary policy and I don't think that's legal," Cuomo said earlier Saturday on CNN.

"And we're talking to Rhode Island now. If they don't roll back that policy, I'm going to sue Rhode Island, because that clearly is unconstitutional."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the travel advisory is "non binding" and does "not change the rules that have been established and in place for over a week now."

Murphy said, "If you have been working as part of our frontline response effort, from health care workers to supermarket workers, we still need you on the job."

More: Coronavirus in New York: Check our interactive map of cases by county

Joseph Spector is the New York state editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany

Support local journalism

We cover the stories from the New York State Capitol and across New York that matter most to you and your family. Please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription to the New York publication nearest you. Check out the latest offer.