U.S. Covid-19 Travel Restrictions

These States Have Travel Restrictions

 

Nearly half of the states have strict measures in place for visitors, from mandatory testing to quarantine requirements.

Americans are planning millions of trips this summer within the United States, according to a forecast released by the AAA in June. But packing a face mask and hand sanitizer aren’t the only things these travelers need to consider, as nearly half of the states have restrictions in place for visitors, from mandatory testing to quarantine requirements.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is continuing to caution against travel, both internationally and within the United States. For those who do take a trip, the C.D.C. recommends people wear a face mask in public, wash hands frequently, avoid touching their face, keep six feet from others, cover coughs and sneezes, and use drive-through service and curbside pickup at restaurants and stores.

Here is a summary of current restrictions in the United States for leisure travelers. Some municipalities or counties may have more stringent restrictions. With the number of coronavirus cases surging across the country, check the areas you plan to visit before you travel.

As of July 21, there were no statewide restrictions in Alabama.

People entering Alaska must complete a Mandatory Declaration Form for Interstate Travelers, and agree to one of the following conditions:

  • Those with proof of a negative test within the previous 72 hours must take another test between seven and 14 days after arrival, and minimize interactions with others until they receive those new results.

  • Tourists with a negative result from a test taken in the five days before their trip agree to take a second test at the airport upon arrival, and then a third test seven to 14 days later. They also agree to minimize interaction with others until the third test is back.

  • People can also receive a test upon arrival, if one is available, but they must self-quarantine until the results are reported. Those who refuse to be tested must self-quarantine for 14 days or until the end of their stay, whichever is shorter.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Arizona.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Arkansas.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in California.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Colorado.

Visitors to Connecticut from states with high rates of confirmed infections are directed to self-quarantine for 14 days. The state will also allow people to enter if they have received negative results for a coronavirus test taken in the previous 72 hours.

The 31 states are Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Gov. Ned Lamont said he would issue an executive order to enforce the quarantine, with violators facing a fine of up to $1,000. He also said those visiting or returning to Connecticut would have to fill out an online health form before arriving.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Delaware.

As of July 27, visitors making non-essential trips to Washington from high-risk areas must self-quarantine for two weeks. The order excludes travelers from Maryland and Virginia.

The district will publish an updated list of places deemed high-risk on its virus website.

People from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut must self-quarantine at their own expense for 14 days when they enter Florida. Violators may be fined up to $500 or imprisoned for up to 60 days.

With the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations spiking in parts of Florida, the mayor of Miami-Dade County in early July ordered all short-term vacation rentals in the county closed.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Georgia.

All those arriving in Hawaii must isolate for two weeks, or until the end of their stay, whichever is shorter. Violators may face up to a $5,000 fine and up to a year in prison. Beginning Sept. 1, travelers can avoid that restriction by showing proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours of their trip.

Travelers to Boise and other cities in Ada County are encouraged to self-quarantine for 14 days. Other counties in the state are further along in their reopening and don’t have a similar request.

There are no statewide restrictions, but those entering or returning to Chicago from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas (beginning July 24), Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah are required to self-quarantine for 14 days from their last contact with those states. Those violating the order face fines of up to $500 per day, up to a maximum of $7,000.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Indiana.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Iowa.

Most people entering or returning to Kansas from Arizona or Florida must self-quarantine for 14 days.

Travelers who visited states or territories with an infection rate approaching 15 percent or higher are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Those states affected are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas. Visitors from Puerto Rico are also asked to quarantine. Additionally, Kentuckians are encouraged to avoid travel to these states.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Louisiana.

Only residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey who stay in commercial lodging in Maine can enter the state without restriction. Everyone else must either self-quarantine for 14 days, or sign a document stating that they tested negative within the previous 72 hours. Those in quarantine may leave their hotel or campsite only for limited outdoor activities, such as hiking, when no other people are around.

Maine residents who travel out of state to a state not on the exempted list must also quarantine when they return or test negative for the virus.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Maryland.

Effective Aug. 1, all travelers, including residents of the state who are returning home, are required to fill out and submit an online health form and self-quarantine for 14 days, unless they are arriving from Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island or Vermont. Travelers who produce a negative virus test result, administered up to 72 hours before their arrival into the state, can avoid the quarantine. Those who have taken a coronavirus test before arrival must quarantine until they receive a negative test result. Travelers who fail to comply with these policies may be fined $500 per day.

Members of the military, some essential workers, those commuting to work or otherwise transiting through the state and other groups may be exempt.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Michigan.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Minnesota.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Mississippi.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Missouri.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Montana.

At Glacier National Park, only the west entrance is open. The Blackfeet Nation is keeping the park’s eastern entrances, which are on tribal land, closed at least through August.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Nebraska.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Nevada.

Those traveling to New Hampshire from non-New England states “for an extended period of time” are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.

Unless they are just passing through, tourists from states with rising coronavirus rates are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. The request applies even to those with a recent negative test. Starting July 27, those travelers are asked to voluntarily supply contact information and details about where they plan on staying.

The 31 states are Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Upon entering the state, most people, including residents who have traveled, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days or the duration of their stay, whichever is shorter.

New York requires those who spent more than 24 hours in a state with significant community spread of the coronavirus to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The 31 states are Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Those arriving at airports in New York must fill out a Health Department traveler form, or face a possible $2,000 fine and a mandatory quarantine order.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in North Carolina.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in North Dakota.

Traveling Ohioans and out-of-state tourists who have visited an area of high risk, or who have had possible exposure to the coronavirus, are asked to voluntarily quarantine for 14 days.

As of July 22, Ohio has identified the following states as high risk: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Oklahoma.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Oregon.

The state asks travelers who have visited an area with a Covid-19 surge to self-quarantine for 14 days. It has identified affected states as: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

Those coming to Rhode Island from a state that has a positivity rate for tests of greater than 5 percent are required to self-quarantine for two weeks. Alternatively, visitors can provide a negative test for the virus that was taken within the previous 72 hours. A person who receives a negative test during their quarantine can stop isolating, although the state recommends the full two-week quarantine.

The states identified are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Visitors from Puerto Rico must also quarantine.

The state recommends that people who have visited an area with widespread or ongoing community transmission of the virus stay home for 14 days from the time they left that region.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in South Dakota.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Tennessee.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Texas.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Utah.

Visitors from counties in Northeastern states that have similar active coronavirus rates to Vermont (defined as less than 400 active cases per million residents) and who travel in a private vehicle do not have to quarantine. The same is true for Vermont residents who visit those regions when they return home.

These counties are in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Most other travelers need to self-quarantine upon arrival in Vermont, but the state gives travelers a few options. People may self-quarantine out of state before traveling to Vermont as long as their trip is in a private vehicle and they make only necessary stops, while wearing a face mask, social distancing and washing their hands frequently. Those opting to self-quarantine before their visit to Vermont can either do it for 14 days, or they can shorten it to seven days if they then get a negative test result.

Those arriving by public transportation or a longer car ride must self-quarantine for 14 days, or for seven days followed by a negative test.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Virginia.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Washington.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in West Virginia.

There are no recommendations for visitors from out of state, but Wisconsinites are asked not to travel to summer or rental homes. Local quarantine restrictions may be in place at the county level.

As of July 21 there were no statewide restrictions in Wyoming.