COVID-19 Restrictions by State
Covid-19 travel restrictions state by state
With cases of Covid-19 reaching new heights in the United States, some states are having to adapt rapidly with their rules and regulations as the new year begins.
If you wish to travel to another state, it is important to be updated on the latest statewide regulations. While some US states have no restrictions on travel, all their sites have important Covid-19 safety information, including possible face mask mandates in public settings. States without travel restrictions might still have mask mandates.
This list is alphabetical and includes links where you should get more information and updates before you head out:
Alabama
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Alabama. However, visitors should be aware of the state’s mask mandate effective through January 22. You can check here for updates.
Alaska
UPDATE: Visitors to Alaska from other states must do one of the following:
— Submit a travel declaration and self-isolation plan online and arrive with proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
— Follow a plan that your employer filed with the state if you come for work.
— Buy a $250 Covid-19 test when you arrive and self-quarantine at your own expense until you get the results.
— Self-quarantine for 14 days or the duration of the trip if shorter.
— Follow a plan that your employer filed with the state if you come for work.
— Buy a $250 Covid-19 test when you arrive and self-quarantine at your own expense until you get the results.
— Self-quarantine for 14 days or the duration of the trip if shorter.
According to the CDC, “people in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.” Leaving your home state to enter a state with a mandatory quarantine means you need one place to stay and to stay put.
Alaska residents also have protocols they must follow for travel. Check here for Alaska details and updates.
Arizona
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Arizona. Check here for updates.
Arkansas
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Arkansas. Check here for updates.
California
UPDATE: California is under a regional stay-at-home order with many tourism-related businesses closed, including bars and museums. Nonessential travel is banned except in a region north of Sonoma County.
Travelers to California are directed to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and avoid nonessential travel, which includes tourism. San Francisco has a mandatory, 10-day quarantine for anyone arriving from outside the nine-county Bay Area region. Check here for updates and details.
Colorado
Pitkin County, Colorado (which includes ski resort Aspen/Snowmass), requires visitors to complete a health affidavit and provide a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival or face a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
There are no other travel restrictions in Colorado, though nonessential travel is not recommended. Check here for updates and click here for regional information about what’s open.
Connecticut
UPDATE: Anyone traveling to Connecticut from anywhere other than New York, New Jersey or Rhode Island must self-quarantine for 10 days. You must also fill out a travel health form. Failure to do either could result in a $500 fine. You can be exempt from the quarantine with a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours prior to arrival or after receiving a negative result for a test taken after arrival. Check here for updates and details.
Delaware
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Delaware. Check here for updates.
Florida
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Florida. Check here for updates.
Georgia
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Georgia. Check here for updates.
Hawaii
UPDATE: Hawaii has a complicated and evolving set of travel requirements and you can expect variation within the islands. You should read them thoroughly before you plan a trip and check often for updates.
According to the state: “Travelers wishing to bypass the 10-day mandatory quarantine must have their negative Covid-19 test results — from a trusted testing partner — prior to departure for the State of Hawaii. Travelers heading to Hawaii must upload their negative test result to the Safe Travels system prior to departure or, as an alternative to uploading, bring a hard copy of their negative test result with them when boarding their flight.”
Visitors to Kauai must quarantine regardless of test result unless they qualify to stay in a “resort bubble” hotel. Check here for important additional details and updates.
Idaho
As of January 4, there are no statewide travel restrictions in Idaho. Check here for updates.
Illinois
As of January 4, there are no statewide restrictions in Illinois, but visitors heading to Chicago have been placed in three categories — red, orange and yellow. Anyone from a red state must quarantine for 14 days. Anyone from an orange state must have a negative Covid-19 test result no more than 72 hours old or observe the quarantine. There are no specific requirements for yellow states. Check here for the list of states and more information before you travel.
Indiana
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Indiana. Check here for updates.
Iowa
UPDATE: As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Iowa, but anyone 2 and older is required to wear a face covering in indoor public settings. Check here for updates and gathering restrictions.
Kansas
While mostly open, Kansas has some unusually specific quarantine requirements that often change. Check here for updates and more details.
Kentucky
UPDATE: The Bluegrass State has been discouraging out-of-state leisure travel since December 14. If you decide to go anyway, the state asks you to self-quarantine for 14 days. Read Kentucky’s travel advisory here.
Louisiana
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Louisiana. Check here for updates.
Maine
UPDATE: Travelers must quarantine for 10 days upon arrival or sign a form stating they’ve received a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours. You may also get tested upon arriving in Maine but must quarantine while awaiting results. Residents of New Hampshire and Vermont are exempt from these rules. Check here for updates.
Maryland
UPDATE: People who travel to Maryland must either get a negative Covid-19 test result within 72 hours of arrival or self-quarantine for 10 days. This applies to people in all places except Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. Check the following for updates: VisitMaryland guide | The governor’s recovery plan | PDF with detailed instructions (pages 2 and 3).
Massachusetts
UPDATE: All visitors and returning residents must complete a travel form before arriving in Massachusetts unless they are arriving from a state designated by the Department of Public Health as low risk. As of January 4, the only low-risk state was Hawaii.
Otherwise, visitors must quarantine for 10 days or have proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival. Check here as well for updates.
Michigan
UPDATE: As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Michigan, though some of the activities and venues vacationers might enjoy are not open for now. Check here for updates.
Minnesota
UPDATE: Visitors to Minnesota are asked to quarantine for 14 days or follow CDC guidelines on how to shorten a quarantine. Also note that many indoor tourism venues are either closed or have tight restrictions. Find out more: Explore Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Health.
Mississippi
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Mississippi. Check here for updates.
Missouri
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Missouri. Check here for updates.
Montana
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Montana. Travel restrictions might vary at Native American reservations. Check here for updates.
Nebraska
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Nebraska. Check here for updates.
Nevada
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Nevada, though many indoor places tourists might visit have strict capacity limits. Check here for updates.
New Hampshire
UPDATE: Visitors to New Hampshire are asked to self-quarantine for 10 days unless they are arriving from elsewhere in New England. People who get a negative Covid-19 test result on or after the seventh day of quarantining can break it early. Check here for updates.
New Jersey
UPDATE: New Jersey is discouraging all nonessential travel. “Travelers and residents returning from any US state or territory beyond the immediate region (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware) should self-quarantine at their home, hotel or other temporary lodging” for 10 days. The self-quarantine is voluntary, but compliance is expected. The state government is also asking travelers to fill out a voluntary survey regarding information about where they are traveling and their destination. Check here for updates.
New Mexico
UPDATE: People traveling from out-of-state are required to self-quarantine for 14 days or the length of their stay in New Mexico, whichever is shorter. Exemptions from low-risk states are allowed, but as of January 4, no states were deemed low risk. Check here for updates.
New York
UPDATE: Current guidelines allow travelers to New York to “test out” of the mandatory 10-day quarantine. Travelers from states that are contiguous with New York will continue to be exempt from the travel advisory. Covered travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form. Check for important details on how to test out here along with other updates.
North Carolina
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in North Carolina. Check here for updates and details on closings and mandates.
North Dakota
UDPATE: As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in North Dakota. The state does post suggested travel guidance and testing protocols. Be aware North Dakota has the highest number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the country, followed by South Dakota. Check here for updates.
Ohio
Travelers visiting Ohio from states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or more are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. This list updates each Wednesday. Check here for details.
Oklahoma
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Oklahoma. Check here for updates.
Oregon
UPDATE: People arriving in Oregon from other states or countries, including returning Oregon residents, are encouraged to self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival. Nonessential travel, which includes tourism, is discouraged. Check here for updates and details.
Pennsylvania
UPDATE: Travelers arriving in Pennsylvania are required to quarantine for 10 days or provide a negative Covid-19 test result that’s less than 72 hours old upon arrival. Check here for updates.
Rhode Island
UPDATE: Those traveling to Rhode Island from a state that has a positive testing rate of 5% or more must quarantine for 14 days. Travelers can opt out of the quarantine if they can provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of their arrival. This exception does not apply to international arrivals. You can check that list of states here.
Those waiting on test results must self-quarantine until a negative test result arrives. You must also fill out a certificate of compliance and travel screening form. Check here for updates and access to the forms.
South Carolina
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in South Carolina. Check here for updates.
South Dakota
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in South Dakota. Some routes through Native American lands might be closed. Check here for updates.
Tennessee
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Tennessee. Check here for updates.
Texas
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Texas. The state urges people to wear a mask, saying “an itty-bitty piece of cloth goes a long way towards keeping yourself and others healthy.” Check here for updates.
Utah
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Utah, though there is a statewide mask mandate. Check here for updates.
Vermont
Vermont has a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival for nonessential travel. You have the option of taking a Covid-19 PCR test on day 7 of the quarantine and ending the quarantine early with a negative reading. Check here for updates.
Virginia
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Virginia. The state suggests getting tested one to three days before travel and again three to five days after you return. Check here for updates.
Washington, DC
Travel requirements apply to anyone traveling to the District from a state with more than 10 cases per 100,000 people. Visitors are asked to get tested 72 hours or less before coming to DC. If you’re there for more than three days, you’re asked to get tested again. Check here for updates and important details.
Washington state
UPDATE: Washington state recommends a 14-day self-quarantine for interstate and international travel. Tourists are being discouraged from visiting. Check here for details, including information on the Covid variant.
West Virginia
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in West Virginia. Check here for updates.
Wisconsin
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions. However, the state is discouraging nonessential travel. Check here for updates.
Wyoming
As of January 4, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Wyoming. Check here for updates.
