While all fifty U.S. states have begun to relax their restrictions on non-essential travel, and businesses begin to reopen and lockdown orders ease, these signs of reopening don't necessarily represent an "all-clear" for visitors to enter.
Some states still require incoming travelers to observe self-quarantine for fourteen days or the duration of their stay, whichever is shorter. In some states, the rules apply selectively, depending upon where travelers originated or what form of transportation they're arriving on.
For vacationers eager to embark on summer escapes after months of being stuck at home, this lack of uniformity among state, and even jurisdictional, rules and regulations can call for quite a bit of research into their desired destinations before they hit the road.
According to investigations from Forbes and Business Insider these states are still enforcing the following COVID-19-related travel restrictions:
-Alaska: All arrivals into the state must provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 result from a test performed within 72 hours of departure. (Proof of negative results from tests taken up to five days prior to departure will be accepted, but such travelers must take another test upon arrival). Alternatively, they may test upon arrival and must adhere to quarantine at their own expense until test results come back.
-Arizona: While there are no current official travel restrictions, the state is recommending that visitors and residents avoid traveling through Navajo Nation, which is experiencing a significant outbreak.
-Arkansas: A directive remains in effect since May 14, which requires that all inbound travelers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Orleans, as well as all foreign countries, undergo a fourteen-days self-quarantine.
-Florida: Florida requires anyone arriving from the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) to self-quarantine for fourteen days or the duration of their stay, if it's shorter. Airline employees are exempted, as well as people "performing military, emergency or health responses".
-Hawaii: All visitors and returning residents must self-quarantine for fourteen days following their arrival and proceed straight to their "designated quarantine location" after completing a declaration form for tracing purposes. Anyone traveling between the Hawaiian islands is now also required to do the same.
-Illinois: Requires anyone arriving from China, Iran, Italy or South Korea to undergo a fourteen-day self-quarantine.
-Kansas: Travelers coming from Alabama, Arizona or Arkansas on or after June 17, or Maryland on or after May 12, must submit to a mandatory fourteen-day self-quarantine. The same rule applies to anyone who traveled internationally, or who sailed aboard a river cruise or cruise ship, on or after March 15.
-Maine: Starting June 26, arrivals to Maine can choose between the fourteen-day quarantine or present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result that's no more than 72 hours old. Visitors from New Hampshire and Vermont are exempted and may entire without testing or quarantine.
-Massachusetts: Since March 27, all arrivals into Massachusetts have been required to self-quarantine for fourteen days. Exemptions include healthcare workers, public health workers, public safety workers, transportation workers and other designated essential workers.
-Nebraska: All arrivals coming from international destinations must self-quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms for fourteen days.
-North Dakota: All inbound international travelers must self-quarantine for fourteen days, unless merely passing through the state or commuting from outside the nation to provide essential supplies or services.
-New Mexico: All incoming visitors arriving by plane must self-isolate for a minimum of fourteen days. Recently-added exemptions include airline employees traveling for work, public safety employees, healthcare workers, emergency first responders, military personnel, employees of federal agencies or national defense contractors, those arriving in New Mexico pursuant to a court order and those traveling to New Mexico to conduct business activities.
-New York: While New York is not currently requiring self-quarantine for arrivals, anyone leaving the state is instructed to self-isolate at their destination. Governor Andrew Cuomo reportedly stated in a recent press briefing that he is considering mandating a two-week quarantine for travelers coming from states experiencing high infection rates.
-Oklahoma: Oklahoma's executive order remains in effect, requiring those who arrive on flights from the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), Washington state, California or Louisiana to self-quarantine for fourteen days. The mandate does not apply to airline personnel, military, healthcare and emergency workers.
-Rhode Island: The fourteen-day quarantine rule only remains in place for people visiting or returning to Rhode Island from an area that's still under stay-at-home orders or similar restrictions, indicating a high rate of community spread at their point of origin.
-Vermont: Residents of other New England states that have a similar active COVID-19 caseload to Vermont may enter without quarantining. Residents of other states or those coming from quarantine counties must either undergo a fourteen-day self-quarantine upon arrival in Vermont or may complete a seven-day quarantine, followed by a negative test in their own state to enter without further restrictions.
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