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Coronavirus COVID-19

These states require travelers to self-quarantine or present a negative COVID-19 test

Editor's note: This story is no longer being updated. Find the latest state-by-state travel restrictions and recommendations here

More than half a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and a few months after most states loosened lockdown restrictions, some governors are cracking down again, saying their citizens have become complacent and dropped their guards, opening the door for new surges this fall.

Even as Hawaii finally enacts a long-awaited testing program that will allow out-of-state visitors to return without spending their entire vacation in quarantine, New Mexico is taking that option off the table

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 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:

Alaska

Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced that beginning August 11, non-Alaska residents need a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival in the state or proof they are waiting on results from a test taken in that 72-hour period. Non-residents without a pre-test can get one on arrival, though for a price.

"If a non-resident arrives without a pre-test, testing is available for $250 per test," according to a policy on the state's website. "The traveler will be required to quarantine while waiting on results."

Testing is free for Alaska residents.

The previous policy, below, will stay in effect through August 10.

Dunleavy and the state's Department of Health and Social Services lifted the state'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 tested within 72 hours to five days before they leave their destination, they can come into Alaska with proof of a negative PCR coronavirus test. They can't enter if the test is positive.
  • Alternately, if they had a negative PCR test within five days of departure, they can retest upon arrival in Alaska. They should minimize contact until the results of the second test come in.
  • If the traveler is a member of the critical infrastructure workforce, as determined by the state, they have to adhere to their company's community protective plan the state has on file.

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.

Arkansas

While 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.

Connecticut

Effective 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.

Click here for the full list.

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District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. will require travelers coming to the city to self-quarantine for 14 days if they are arriving from a high-risk area on nonessential travel.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said July 24 that the self-quarantine requirement would take effect the following week. Maryland and Virginia, which border D.C., are exempt from the order, but other states that see a seven-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases at 10 or more per 100,000 people will be affected.

As of Sept. 21, the updated list of "high-risk states" that require a 14-day self-quarantine include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin .

Florida

Effective Aug. 6, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rescinded the state's14-day quarantine rule for visitors from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut

Hawaii

Hawaii's long-awaited COVID-19 testing program is in effect as of Oct. 15. The program allows out-of-state travelers to bypass a mandatory 14-day quarantine by presenting a negative nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) test from an approved lab, taken within 72 hours before they arrive. All visitors ages 5 and up must be tested in order to skip quarantine. Travelers must also complete the state's mandatory Travel and Health Form. The negative test result must be uploaded to the visitor's Safe Travels account before they can leave quarantine. According to the state, the mandatory 14-day quarantine remains in effect for all inter-island travelers, except for those arriving on the island of Oahu.

Hawaii vacations are finally a lot easier:  But are tourists really welcome?

Illinois

The city of Chicago is requiring visitors from certain states to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival or face possible fines. 

Check here for weekly updates on Tuesdays.

Kansas

The state requires a 14-day quarantine for those heading to Kansas who have traveled domestically and been at gatherings of more than 500 people, beginning on or after Aug. 11.

Kentucky

Under a new advisory announced Monday, Kentuckians who travel to nine hot spot states reporting positive testing rates equal or greater than 15% are now recommended to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine. The states included in Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s travel advisory are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Mississippi.

Beshear said case clusters have been traced to residents who have recently returned from vacations or attended large gatherings such as block parties or barbecues.

Maine

Unless a visitor has a negative PCR COVID-19 test result from within 72 hours of travel, all but those from the following states must self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their state of residency: Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey,  New York, Vermont and Massachusetts. Visitors under quarantine are not allowed to go to grocery stores and therefore must bring enough food to last the duration of their quarantine or arrange to have food brought to them.

Maryland

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on July 29 issued a travel advisory urging residents to avoid visiting some states with rapidly increasing cases of coronavirus.

The travel advisory applies to states with positive test rates of or higher than 10%. As of July 29, that would include Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and Texas.

Hogan said if people must visit those states, they should immediately be tested upon returning to Maryland and quarantine themselves until learning the results. 

Massachusetts

As of Aug. 1, everyone coming into Massachusetts (except those coming from lower-risk states) must quarantine for 14 days or show a negative COVID-19 test result administered up to 72 hours in advance of their arrival. If the test results haven't come in before travelers get to Massachusetts, they quarantine until the results are in.

Anyone entering the state has to fill out a travel form before entering, also as of Aug. 1. However, those traveling from lower-risk states or who meet other exemptions won't have to do so. Details here.

People who don't follow the rules could be subject to a $500 fine per day.

Nebraska

Nebraskans 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 Hampshire

Under 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 Jersey

Travelers flying into New Jersey from so-called hot spot states where coronavirus is spiking will be asked to fill out a survey starting July 20.

The announcement came from state health Commissioner Judith Persichilli more than three weeks after Gov. Phil Murphy joined his counterparts in New York and Connecticut to announce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for visitors arriving from states with high numbers of positive cases.

Keep up with the list here.

New Mexico

Effective, Friday, Oct. 16, the state has rescinded a policy that allowed visitors to bypass a 14-day quarantine by presenting a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel. In addition, hotel occupancy has been capped at 60% for establishments certified safe by the state and 25% for those that have not.

New York

Gov. 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. Check the list.

Ohio

People traveling to Ohio from states with positive COVID-19 testing rates of 15% or higher are subject to the state's new travel advisory. Stay up-to-date here.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvanians should quarantine for 14 days when returning from the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee. The state's health department encourages those who traveled or plan to travel to an area with high coronavirus case counts to stay home for 14 days after their trips. 

Rhode Island

An Army National Guard soldier waits to inform those arriving at an airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, on March 30, 2020, of an order for all travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days.

You must self-quarantine for 14 days or provide a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arriving in Rhode Island if coming from certain states with a COVID-19 positivity rate higher than 5% (check here for the up-to-date list). You can leave quarantine if you receive a negative test result once in the state.

South Carolina

The 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. 

Utah

The state asks visitors or returning residents to quarantine if they've been in high-risk areas.

Vermont

Effective 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:

  • Traveling by car: Quarantine in their home state for 14 days before traveling in their personal vehicle and making no stops.
  • Traveling using commercial transportation or driving with stops: Quarantine for 14 days at a lodging facility in Vermont 

Virginia

The 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 Virginia

The 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." 

Wisconsin

The 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: Ryan Miller, 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; York Daily Record; The Associated Press

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