Pandemic Border Patrol

Half of Americans believe interstate travel should be banned for citizens from high-risk states, reveals survey.

Due to the Coronavirus’ easy and rapid infection rate, some states across the US have implemented strict travel regulations in an attempt to protect citizens* by reducing the risk of outbreak. While some hard-hit states – such as New York and New Jersey – currently have state-wide travel limitations in place, more than half have no such restrictions, including California and Texas. Do Americans believe interstate travel should be regulated during the pandemic or do they think people should be allowed to travel freely throughout the country?

Broken down across this country, Nutmeggers felt most strongly about this ban with 86% agreeing. Comparatively, only 31% of Arkansans feel travelers from high risk states should be banned from entering theirs.

 The primary aim of quarantine is to avoid contact between someone who may have been exposed to the Coronavirus and the people around them***. This reduces the risk of viral transmission, especially because some people can be asymptomatic, therefore, might have the virus without realizing and could consequently, infect others. For this reason, it is understandable why over half (55%) of people believe interstate all domestic travelers should be forced to quarantine for 14 days.

It could also be the reason why over half (60%) of people say they will be vacationing locally for the rest of 2020 instead of traveling to further destinations. Given that some states have implemented travel restrictions, perhaps staying closer to home is a less complex – and cheaper – option than venturing across state lines.

Additionally, nearly 1 in 5 (18%) respondents are confident that the pandemic will be a boost for local tourism. Due to the economic hit of the pandemic on many local businesses, a large number of people supporting local tourism could be a shift in a positive direction towards regaining financial stability.

Holiday Hiatus: Considering many Americans have also been hard-hit financially by the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as social distancing regulations still in place across some states, 40% of people do not believe they will be able to spend Thanksgiving with their extended family this year. Moreover, because the pandemic shows no hints of ceasing, it is no surprise that over a third (38%) of Americans do not expect to travel over Christmas to see extended family.