AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials have released more information about how they are enforcing orders from Gov. Greg Abbott for people traveling into Texas from COVID-19 hotspots.
DPS officials said they are not conducting checkpoints at the border of Texas and Louisiana, a state from where travelers must quarantine for 14 days upon entering Texas.
However, officials said they have stepped up enforcement along the border and warn that drivers stopped for any other reason face penalties if they do not complete online forms asking them for information such as their name and the location where they will be quarantined.
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Additionally, troopers have been assigned to airports across the state to inform passengers of the quarantine rules once they arrive from planes departing from cities Abbott has listed in his orders: New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta, Detroit or any location in California.
Those passengers are also now required to quarantine for 14 days, and each receives instructions from troopers upon landing that they must go directly from the airport to their quarantine location.
DPS warned that troopers may also conduct random checks during a person's 14-day quarantine period to make sure they are complying.
Officials said they are not yet able to say how many people entering Texas have completed a quarantine form or if they have issued citations for those who haven't.
"We encourage all individuals to abide by all the measures that the governor has enacted to mitigate the consequences of the current public health disaster," DPS said in a statement.
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