September 21, 2020
Last week Connecticut’s Governor Ned Lamont issued Executive Order 9B (click here to read the Executive Order), which calls for a welcome COVID-19 testing alternative to mandatory self-quarantine for those individuals coming into Connecticut from states and US territories on Connecticut’s Travel Advisory list (click here to see Connecticut’s current Travel Advisory list). As we wrote previously (click here to read article), prior to Executive Order 9B, almost all individuals coming into Connecticut from a state or US territory on the Travel Advisory list had to self-quarantine for 14 days. There were only narrow exceptions to self-quarantine, including individuals traveling due to an emergency and individuals not staying in the foreign state for more than 24 hours.
Now everyone can test out of Connecticut’s mandatory 14 day self-quarantine requirements through two options. First, get tested within 72 hours before entering the state and receive a negative test result (until you get the results you must remain quarantined). Alternatively, be tested in Connecticut after entering the state and receive negative results. Again, you must remain quarantined until you get the results. Employees and employers should be aware the state is currently only accepting results for nucleic acid COVID-19 tests, such as reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.
Executive Order 9B does provide a carve out for “Essential Workers” traveling to, or returning to, Connecticut from states on Connecticut’s Travel Advisory list when such travel is related to their work. However, if such travel was non-work related (e.g., vacation), such workers shall be required to follow the self-quarantine/testing procedures detailed above.
Executive Order 9B also covers individuals coming into Connecticut from countries on the CDC’s Level 3 Travel Health Notice. We urge all Connecticut employers to review Executive Order 9B for specific testing and reporting requirements.
The subject matter of COVID-19 posts are often very technical. It is also an evolving area of law and very fact specific. Our goal here is to simply alert you to some of the key issues involved. We urge you to seek competent legal counsel before applying these ideas to your specific situation. Since March, we have had a team of attorneys focusing on COVID-19 related developments and they continue to stand ready to help you with any issues involving the pandemic.
