Houston, Mar 27 (IANS): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a 14-day self-quarantine order for anyone travelling to the state tfrom New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or New Orleans in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Abbott said the executive order will be enforced by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), reports Xinhua news agency.
Travellers from those areas will have to report their quarantine location to DPS, said the Governor.
The individuals will not be allowed to go out in public, and will only be allowed visits from doctors.
Those travelLers will also receive visits from DPS to ensure they are complying with the order.
Those who do not follow the order will be subject to a $1,000 fine or 180 days in jail.
As of Thursday, there are about 1,420 confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas and 18 people have died from the disease.
According to Abbott, more than 21,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the state.
In a grim milestone, the US has surpassed China, where the virus originated last December, in terms of confirmed cases.
According to the latest updates by the John Hopkins University, the US has a total of 85,505 cases, while China has 81,782.
The overall death toll in the US currently stands at 1,290.