USA Travel restrictions: The states where visitors must still quarantine30.06.2020 usatoday.comUSA Travel restrictions: The states where visitors must still quarantine These states still require travelers to self-quarantine or present negative COVID-19 testStates are opening back up, but that doesn't mean travelers are free to come and go as they please amid the coronavirus pandemic. USA TODAY has an update on the states that are discouraging interstate travel by requiring or recommending that visitors and residents returning from other states quarantine. And some states are requiring a recent, negative COVID-19 test in lieu of a blanket quarantine policy. Some counties or municipalities have issued similar advice to travelers, so anyone looking to go on a road trip or take a summer vacation should check government websites for their destination and anywhere they plan to stop overnight. Here are the states that require or recommend traveler quarantines: AlaskaAlaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state's Department of Health and Social Services lifted astate's mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers. Both interstate and international travelers can come to Alaska as long as they meet the following requirements:
If none of the above applies (the traveler doesn't have a test result, rejects testing, or is not a critical worker), that person must quarantine for 14 days. Travelers who already had COVID-19, tested positive at least three weeks prior to their arrival, are currently asymptomatic and can show a doctor's note attesting to their recovery do not need to be retested. ArkansasWhile the state no longer mandates a 14-day quarantine for visitors, it still asks that Arkansans consider doing so when returning from travel to affected areas. ConnecticutEffective June 25, the state will require a 14-day quarantine for any visitor or resident returning from a region with a transmission rate of 10 positive tests for every 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average. As of June 24, the quarantine rule would affect anyone coming from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington Utah and Texas. The rule is the result of a joint travel advisory issued with New Jersey and New York. Staying Apart, Together: A newsletter about how to cope with the coronavirus pandemic FloridaEffective June 5, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended its 14-day quarantine rule for visitors from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The order does not apply to anyone participating in commercial or academic activities, including athletes returning to college campuses. HawaiiOn June 24, Gov. David Ige announced that beginning Aug. 1, out-of-state visitors may present a negative PCR test for COVID-19 from any testing location approved by the Hawaii State Department of Health upon their arrival. Without a negative test, visitors must undergo a 14-day quarantine. (No testing will be provided at the airport.) KansasThe state requires a 14-day quarantine for Kansans returning from these states:
People must also quarantine for 14 days if they traveled out of the country on or after March 15 or went on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15. KentuckyWhile there is no travel quarantine in place at this time, Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s commissioner for public health, said that cases have been linked to out-of-state travel. "We have now identified here in Kentucky numerous people that have returned from (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) with COVID-19," Stack said in a statement. "I have to continue to urge and beg folks to be careful. It is not the time to be cavalier because we have a scenario where a place that was just starting the reopening process went from being fine to a state of emergency in three weeks." MaineMaine's Department of Health and Human Services requires travelers to the state to self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their state of residence unless they can present a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours. Residents of New Hampshire and Vermont are exempt. MarylandUnder Maryland's current "Safer at Home" advisory, the state recommends – but does not require – residents returning from out of state who display symptoms to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival home. MassachusettsUnder the state's "Safer at Home" advisory, it "expects" all travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days except for essential workers. NebraskaNebraskans returning from international travel and visitors coming to the state for less than 14 days should self-quarantine for the duration of their visit. The recommendation excludes health care workers, commuters and certain other groups.The recommendation excludes health care workers, commuters and certain other groups. New HampshireUnder the state's "Safer at Home" guidelines, it requests – but does not require – out-of-state visitors who will be staying in New Hampshire for an extended period of time to self-quarantine for 14 days. New MexicoOn June 1, the state allowed more exemptions to the state's 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone entering through an airport or anywhere from out of state. In addition to airline, military and essential workers, business travelers and those appearing pursuant to a court order do not have to quarantine. New JerseyAlong with his counterparts in Connecticut and New York, Gov. Phil Murphy announced a joint travel advisory which says that effective Thursday, June 25, visitors or residents returning from a high-transmission state must quarantine for 14 days. Currently, that would affect anyone coming from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington Utah and Texas. New YorkGov. Andrew Cuomo's state, which was the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic early on, is also requiring visitors and residents returning from from out of state to quarantine for 14 days effective Thursday, June 25. As of late June, the rule would apply to anyone coming from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington Utah and Texas. OklahomaGov. Kevin Stitt has not rescinded his executive order requiring people arriving on flights from the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), Washington state, California or Louisiana to quarantine for 14 days. Airline personnel, military, health care and emergency workers are exempt. Rhode Island The only quarantine restriction still in effect applies to Rhode Islanders returning from an area that is still under a stay-at-home order or similar rules. South CarolinaThe state recommends that travelers returning from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread stay home for a period of 14 days from the date of departure. UtahThe state asks visitors or returning residents to quarantine if they've been in high-risk areas. VermontEffective June 15, "Visitors and travelers coming to Vermont by plane, bus or train ─ or those who make stops in a personal vehicle ─ must quarantine for 14 days when they arrive," the state health department said. Visitors may either:
VirginiaThe state Department of Health recommends a 14-day self-quarantine for those who have traveled internationally, on a cruise ship or river boat, or to a U.S. area where COVID-19 circulated widely in the community. West VirginiaThe Bureau of Public Health's most recent COVID-19 bulletin "recommends state residents with plans to vacation in a crowded area be extremely cautious, practice social distancing and wear a face mask, and those who have traveled or are traveling to a large or crowded vacation area to self-monitor/quarantine for 14 days upon return." WisconsinThe Department of Health Services says that certain cities and counties in the state may subject travelers to stay at home or self-quarantine for 14 days. Contributing: Curtis Tate, Bill Keveney, Hannah Yasharoff, Nicquel Terry Ellis, Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY; Jon Campbell, New York State Team – USA TODAY Network; Reno Gazette Journal; The Associated Press |
