California issues travel advisory instead of mandatory quarantine, but will it be taken seriously?
"If there's any indication that the travel advisory needs to be strengthened, we will consider that in the days and weeks to come."
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A travel advisory comes one day after California surpassed one million coronavirus cases.
"We believe Californians will do the right thing," said California health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, explaining why the state is issuing a travel advisory, instead of a mandatory quarantine.
In a Pacific Northwest partnership, California joined Oregon and Washington in asking their residents to avoid non-essential travel out of state and to quarantine, if they're coming into the area for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Here's the thing - if travelers intend to quarantine in time for Thanksgiving, they should have been on lockdown Nov. 12, which was Thursday.
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ABC7 visited San Francisco International Airport where some travelers told us they plan to be very careful, but not necessarily quarantine a full 14 days.
The most ideal traveler we found - Julie Deck, who stayed safe prior to boarding her flight and plans to mostly stay home with her daughter during her two month visit.
"I stayed home, I take my temperature every morning, pack my clothes and came," said Deck.
WATCH: ABC7 News looks at COVID-19 protocols for holiday travel at Oakland International Airport
"We follow all the advisories, do all the recommendations," said Jill Kohlmeier, her daughter.
There are no COVID-19 checkpoints at SFO. You can pretty much come and go as you please. While officials there believe the advisory is a good idea, their main strategy is masks, education and partnerships.
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"We're very focused on launching what we call bubbles or travel corridors, these are bilateral agreements between SFO and a specific location," said Doug Yakel, SFO spokesperson.
We pressed Dr. Mark Ghaly on how the state plans to keep people accountable, especially when California is surrounded by COVID-19 hot spots. A brief look at SFO's arrivals board shows many people coming in from cities where COVID-19 numbers are also on the rise.
"If there's any indication that the travel advisory needs to be strengthened, we will consider that in the days and weeks to come. But I will punctuate it by saying, I certainly hope that the advisory doesn't weaken any part of the message."
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