Gov. Greg Abbott holds a new executive order regarding the coronavirus during a press conference in Austin on March 24, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Nick Wagner/POOL via American-Statesman
Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled an executive order Thursday requiring visitors flying in to Texas from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Orleans to self-quarantine for 14 days during the coronavirus pandemic.
The order aligns Texas with federal guidance announced Wednesday that aims to contain the spread of the virus outside New York, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak.
"This is intended simply to achieve the goals that have been articulated by the CDC and the White House organization focused on reducing the spread of the coronavirus in the United States," Abbott said during a news conference at the Texas Capitol in Austin.
Texas has at least 1,396 confirmed coronavirus cases across 92 of its 254 counties, including 18 deaths, according to the latest figures from the Texas Department of State Health Services. There have been 21,424 tests done in the state.