As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to criss-cross and goes back and forth across the United States, travel restrictions are constantly in flux. As of today, September 29, 2020, the 50 states have the following regulations in place regarding inward-bound travelers. Long-distance relationships have been hard-hit by these restrictions as thousands of couples have been forced to remain apart due to the evolving restriction landscape. Not just long-distance couples but families and friends have been separated for months on end because quarantine requirements or closed borders have not allowed them to travel.
If you intend to travel to join your long-distance spouse or partner or are planning a trip with your family, traveling for business or traveling for any other purpose, you are advised to check the current status on the official government website of each state you intend to cross or transit through, as well as that of your destination state. Anything can change at a moment’s notice.
Please ensure that you have a face mask on your person at all times and are wearing it whenever you are in public. Be ready for self-quarantine and testing mandates; some states may require you to bear all costs. During your travel and at your destination state, continue wearing your face mask or covering when in public, maintain social distancing norms, and wash your hands frequently. This is still the best way to stay safe.
Following is a list of statewise travel restrictions across the United States when arriving at your destination state by air, road, or train. For your convenience, a
Red,
Amber, and
Green color code has been applied below to indicate states with restrictions, states with recommendations or mask mandates, and states with no restrictions, respectively. All data is as of the date of publication and may be subject to change at any time. Once again, please check with state and local government websites for the most current information prior to travel. Bon voyage!
Alabama
No restrictions on inward travel but
the wearing of face masks and other safety mandates are in place until October 2.
Alaska
Out-of-state travelers must purchase their own test and quarantine at their own expense until the results of the test are available. They must also submit a written declaration and their plan for self-quarantine. A negative COVID-19 test is also required. In addition, visitors who have come for work must follow the plan that their employer previously filed with state authorities.
Arizona
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Arkansas
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
California
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Please check for local wildfire alerts.
Colorado
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Connecticut
Travel restrictions apply to anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in a state showing a 10% positivity rate or a 10 out of 100,000 person infection rate (or higher, in both cases). Such visitors are required to self-isolate for 14 days or may be exempted if they have a COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours. It is mandatory to submit a travel health form on arrival. The list of states and territories with 10% or higher positivity rates currently number 35 (including Guam.)
Delaware
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Florida
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Georgia
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Hawaii
Current travel restrictions: Mandatory 14-day quarantine. Visitors are also required to sign a form declaring their awareness of the quarantine and the fact that violating it constitutes a criminal offense.
New travel restrictions applicable from Oct. 15, 2020: Inward travelers are required to have a CLIA-certified lab show negative results and must do a NAAT test (FDA-approved) 72 hours prior to flying. This will enable them to bypass the mandatory quarantine. A similar quarantine has been reinstated for inter-island travelers until Sep. 30. Please check local sources for specifics.
Idaho
14-day self-isolation for inbound travelers is recommended or “encouraged”, not mandatory, in Ada County.
Illinois
Visitors from 19 other states, as listed on the government portal, will be quarantined for 14 days.
Indiana
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Iowa
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Kansas
No travel restrictions and no mandatory quarantine period. However,
if you did one of these things, whether you are a visitor or a resident, a 14-day quarantine is required.
- Went to Aruba after or on Sep. 24.
- Participated in any event where 500 people or more were present.
- Have gone on a cruise (river or sea) since March.
Kentucky
Travelers from states with a 15% or higher positivity rate (per the Johns Hopkins University tracking portal) are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine. 5 states and Puerto Rico are on this list as of this publication.
Louisiana
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Maine
Visitors may sign a declaration saying they tested negative in the past three days in the absence of which quarantine is required. Testing on arrival is also an option but the quarantine will apply until the results come back. These restrictions and requirements do not apply to visitors from Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Maryland
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Massachusetts
The Department of Public Health has designated several states as low risk. If you are traveling from a state that is not on this list, a travel form must be filled out and submitted prior to arriving in the state. The low-risk states are, as of this publication, Washington state, Vermont, Oregon, New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, and Colorado.
Along with the travel form, you must submit a negative test no older than three days (72 hours) or be subject to a 14-day quarantine. You may choose to do the test on arrival but must be quarantined until the results are released and are negative. There’s a $500 fine for violating these directives.
Michigan
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Minnesota
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Mississippi
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Missouri
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Montana
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but
local restrictions apply at 7 Native American reservations. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Nebraska
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Nevada
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
New Hampshire
A self-quarantine period of two weeks is required if you’re coming in from anywhere except the five New England states; namely, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine.
New Jersey
If you intend to spend more than 24 hours in New Jersey and your state of origin has a 10% or higher positivity rate or a positive rate of 10 per 100,000 people, you are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have been working together on a hotspot list, which has now grown to 35 states and territories as of this publication. All three states require travelers from these states to undergo quarantine.
New Mexico
Visitors arriving from states not on the exemption list must self-isolate for the shorter of the duration of stay or 14 days. States currently exempt from this restriction are Washington state, Washington D.C., Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine, Hawaii, and Connecticut.
New York
New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have been working together on a hotspot list, which has now grown to 35 states and territories as of this publication. All three states require travelers from these states to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Those entering by air must hand in a form indicating where they’ve been and other details, and failure to do this will attract a fine of $2,000. Travelers entering by other means of transportation can fill an online form.
North Carolina
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
North Dakota
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Ohio
The threshold for entry without a mandatory quarantine is a less than 15% positive testing rate in the state of origin. Ohio currently has Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, and Idaho on this list of must-quarantine states as of this publication.
Oklahoma
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Oregon
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Please check for local wildfire alerts.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania maintains a list of states that have a “high number of COVID-19 cases”, and travelers from these states are required to self-isolate for 14 days. There are currently 19 states on this list as of this publication.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s threshold is much lower: a less-than-5% positive testing rate is required to avoid the mandatory 14-day quarantine. If you carry a negative COVID-19 test no older than three days (72 hours), you may opt out of the quarantine requirement. If you are awaiting test results, you must self-isolate until a negative result is obtained and submitted. The recommendation is still a 14-day quarantine rather than a reliance on the test result.
If you plan to stay at a rental property or a hotel, you will need to sign a compliance certificate for the self-quarantine or produce a recent negative test.
South Carolina
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
South Dakota
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local (movement through Native American reservations) restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Tennessee
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Texas
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Mask-wearing in public is highly encouraged.
Utah
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Vermont
Travelers from states with less than 400 active cases per million residents are exempt from the 14-day quarantine. All others must self-quarantine for the entire duration or self-isolate for 7 days if they can show a recent negative test.
Self-isolation prior to arrival is allowed if a self-owned vehicle is used for travel. However, these visitors must not have made frequent stops and must have followed all the necessary precautions, such as wearing a mask, frequent hand-washing, and social distancing.
Virginia
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Washington, D.C.
D.C. requires that visitors from 31 states (as of this publication) quarantine themselves for 14 days.
Washington state
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Please check for local wildfire alerts.
West Virginia
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
Wisconsin
No quarantine requirement statewide. Inbound travelers are
asked to self-assess for symptoms and not leave their place of residence unless absolutely necessary. Visitors are
advised not to visit rental homes or private residences during the quarantine window.
Wyoming
No travel restrictions applicable statewide as of this publication but local restrictions may apply. Please verify with local sources prior to travel.
