NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Nassau County Manager Michael Mullin on Thursday issued a new executive order requiring all travelers driving to Nassau County or flying to the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport from Louisiana to self-quarantine for 14 days.
The order signed Thursday by Mullin follows a similar Nassau County order issued Friday that cracks down on travelers from the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
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Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also ordered anyone arriving from Louisiana to self-quarantine, like those from the New York tri-state area, in an attempt to blunt the coronavirus outbreak.
“As with the previous order regarding individuals from the New York Tri-State area, the county has taken this action based on information about people arriving in Nassau County from Louisiana,” Mullin said. “The orders from Gov. DeSantis make it clear individuals coming from these two parts of the county could adversely affect our community.”
The new Nassau County order requires anyone from Louisiana who arrived in Nassau County on or after March 24 and is still in Nassau County to self-quarantine for 14 days from the date of March 24, or for the duration of their time in Florida, whichever is shorter.
Neither the Nassau County order issued Thursday nor the local order issued Friday apply to people employed by airlines and military, emergency or health personnel.
Both orders require local lodging establishments and short-term rental companies to provide daily updates to the Nassau County Health Department and to the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, including the number of occupants and state and city of origin for each occupant. They must also provide copies of the Florida and Nassau County executive orders to anyone checking in from the New York tri-state area or Louisiana.
“We will continue to rely on the cooperation of our local tourism partners to abide by the latest order for the good of this community and our local economy,” said Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Gil Langley.
The operator of the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport will provide names and addresses for individuals arriving from Louisiana to the Nassau County Health Department. In addition, each person disembarking at the airport will be given a copy of the state and local orders.
Failure to comply with either order is considered a second-degree misdemeanor, which could result in 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
As of Thursday, there were more than 92,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, while there were over 9,100 COVID-19 cases reported in Louisiana and 9,008 cases reported in Florida.