Texas Law Enforcement Strengthens Screening of Travelers at the Louisiana State Border

Travelers coming outside of Texas will now have to go through checkpoints on interstates and highways at the eastern part of state during the Wuhan Virus outbreak.

Texas state troopers set up the checkpoints on Sunday, April 5, 2020 and they come less than a week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered that travelers from Louisiana and other parts of the nation to self-quarantine.

“Travelers will be asked to complete the travel form required under (Executive Order) GA-12,” a Texas DPS spokesperson declared in a statement. “It’s important for those entering Texas from Louisiana to be prepared to stop.”

These screenings are related to the Wuhan Virus pandemic and drivers are advised to exercise caution and stay alert for traffic congestion when driving west into Texas. Vehicles going through roadways crossing into Texas, which include interstates, are all subject to screening.

Authorities in Louisiana have posted warning signs so drivers about possible traffic congestion that the checkpoints could bring about.

Abbott revealed that the order does not pertain to travel connected to commercial activity, military service, emergency response, health response, or critical infrastructure functions.

Although normal travel is permitted on I-10 in southeast Texas and I-20 to the north, some crossings in east Texas are closed off to non-essential traffic. Law enforcement in Shelby and Sabine counties informed KLTV that a bridge across Toledo Bend Reservoir close to Many, Louisiana, and another bridge close Joaquin, Texas, were only accessible to commercial vehicles and essential travelers.

On top of the ground travel restrictions, Abbott said individuals traveling to Texas by plane from Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, all California airports and all Washington state airports are also mandated to undergo a self-quarantine for 14 days.

In a previous announcement, Abbott said that anyone traveling to Texas by plane from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or New Orleans are required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Travelers from coming from the aforementioned areas must report their “quarantine location” in a form to DPS. Those who do not comply with the order will face a $1,000 fine or 180 days in jail.

Texas has been relatively sane on handling the Wuhan Virus.

It protected the right to bear arms, unlike some blue states, by declaring gun stores as essential and deregulating certain aspects of commerce to bolster supply chains.