COVID-19 September Travel Restrictions: Latest Quarantine Rules for US States

Travel restrictions are gradually loosening six months since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted worldwide border shutdowns but Americans still aren't completely in the clear when it comes to domestic travel. Here are the states requiring out-of-state visitors to quarantine or present a negative COVID-19 test result to avoid self-isolation heading into the fall.

Alaska is requiring that all non-residents arrive with a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours prior to departure or proof of a pending result from a test taken within 72 hours prior to departure. Travelers awaiting results will need to upload proof that a test was taken within the 72-hour window into the Alaska Travel Portal and quarantine while waiting. Testing is available for $250 per test for those arriving without a pre-test but visitors must quarantine while awaiting the results. For extended stays in Alaska, a second test should be taken 7-14 days after arrival.

Travelers arriving in Connecticut from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average can self-quarantine for at least 14 days or present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of travel. As of September 22, the list includes 33 U.S. states, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Visitors to Hawaii are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. The state's pre-travel COVID-19 testing program that would allow visitors to bypass the mandatory quarantine with proof of a negative test result is likely to be delayed beyond October.

There are no statewide travel restrictions in Illinois, however, travelers from states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Chicago. As of September 8, those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

Visitors to Kansas are advised to quarantine for 14 days if they have traveled to Aruba between August 27 and September 10; traveled to countries with a CDC Level 3 Travel Health Notice and restrictions on entry into the U.S. such as China, Iran, European Schengen area, U.K., Ireland and Brazil between July 14 and August 27 or been on a cruise ship or a river cruise on or after March 2020.

People traveling to Kentucky from states experiencing COVID-19 infection rates of 15 percent or higher are being asked to quarantine for at least 14 days. Click here to view the latest positivity rate for every state.

Maine is permitting out-of-state travelers to forgo its 14-day quarantine requirement with proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival. Travelers can be tested upon arrival but must quarantine while awaiting the results. Residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey are exempt from Maine's COVID-19 testing and 14-day quarantine requirement for travel and lodging.

Out-of-state visitors to Massachusetts will need to quarantine for 14 days or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of arrival unless visiting from a lower-risk state (average daily cases per 100,000 below six and positive test rate below 5 percent). As of September 9, that list includes Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.

New Hampshire is requiring that all visitors from non-New England states (Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island) staying for an extended period of time self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.

As of September 22, residents of 33 U.S. states (that have a COVID-19 test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average), Guam and Puerto Rico are advised to self-quarantine for at least two weeks upon arrival in New Jersey as part of the joint 14-day quarantine travel advisory announced by the Governors of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut earlier this summer.

As of September 4, travelers to New Mexico from states considered high-risk based on COVID-positivity rates are required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Residents from the following states are exempt from the mandatory quarantine: Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C.

Like Connecticut and New Jersey, New York is requiring travelers from states with a significant degree of community-wide spread of COVID-19 (positive tests in excess of 10 percent or a number of positive cases exceeding 10 per 100,000 residents) to quarantine for at least two weeks upon arrival. California, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and Ohio were recently dropped from New York's travel advisory, which includes 33 states, Guam and Puerto Rico as of September 22.

Ohio is advising those entering the state following travel to states reporting positive COVID-19 testing rates of 15 percent or higher to self-quarantine for 14 days. Based on a seven-day rolling average of positivity rates as of September 9, affected states include Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Travelers visiting Pennsylvania and who are coming from the following states are recommended to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee.

Those visiting Rhode Island from a state with a COVID-19 positivity rate higher than five percent can bypass the state's 14-day self-isolation requirement by presenting proof of a negative test result taken within 72 hours of arrival.

Visitors to Vermont from Northeast states (New York; Pennsylvania; Ohio; New Jersey; Delaware; Maryland; Washington, D.C.; Virginia; and West Virginia) who live in counties with a similar active COVID-19 caseload to Vermont (less than 400 active cases per million) can bypass the 14-day self-isolation or seven-day quarantine followed by a negative test.

A self-quarantine of 14 days is required for travelers coming to the nation's capital from high-risk areas, which includes 30 states as of September 8.