Rhode Island state police backed up by the National Guard launched house-to-house searches Saturday to flush out New Yorkers who have traveled to the state seeking refuge from the coronavirus crisis. They’re being ordered to self-quarantine for two weeks.
Police on Friday also pulled over cars with New York license plates to give drivers the same orders. Cars traveling over the border encountered law enforcement authorities and signs ordering New York drivers to pull over to a checkpoint for questioning.
National Guard members have also been posted at Rhode Island’s airport, train stations and bus stops to grill travelers. The penalty for not complying with the state’s quarantine order is a fine of up to $500 and 90 days in prison.
“That’s a law — that’s an order,” Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo said Friday of the new quarantine requirements, which she conceded Saturday were “fairly extreme.” “It comes with penalties. It’s not a suggestion,” she added.
