New York, June 26 (RHC)-- In the U.S., the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have ordered travellers from eight other states to quarantine for 14 days on arrival as the epidemic in the U.S. gathers momentum.

The order was "the smart thing to do," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told the media.  "We have taken our people, the three of us from these three states, through hell and back, and the last thing we need to do right now is subject our folks to another round," Murphy said of the three governors, all Democrats. 

The quarantine applies to people arriving from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Utah, including northeastern residents returning from those areas.

It will be enforced with fines that will rise for repeat offenders.

New York is opening up again after being badly hit in the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.  Now it is imposing quarantines on travellers from a number of other states where caseloads and hospitalizations have surged.