U.S. States with COVID-19 travel restrictions

The United States is a truly vast and varied land, especially in terms of the country's response to the novel COVID-19 virus. Since March 2020, each of the 50 states has handled the ongoing public health crisis quite differently, some more fastidious than others. Fast forward to January 2021 and the numbers haven't dwindled. On the bright side, at least vaccines are underway!

Unable to venture out of the country for the past year, this isolative time period has resulted in Americans traveling more domestically, for better or worse. While travel has obviously been discouraged for good reason, research has shown that driving in your own vehicle is by far the safest route to go. Renting a car in the USA is no exception!

If you are traveling anytime soon, hopefully you're taking the necessary extra precautions like mask wearing, social distancing, etc. At least when you booking a vehicle through autoeurope.com, you can rest assured that our car rental partners across the country are going above and beyond to sanitize their vehicles after every use. With that said, below you will find details (or lack thereof) for states' respective COVID-19 protocols for out-of-towners or returning residents.

Which US states have COVID-19 travel restrictions?

Alaska

• A 14-day quarantine for non-state residents older than 10 can be cut short with a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their departure.
• Remember to upload the results on the Alaska Travel Portal in addition to sharing your Travel Declaration and Self-Isolation Plan on the portal.
• Upload proof of the test onto the portal if you’re still awaiting results, and continue to quarantine until then.
• Tests are available upon arrival in Alaska for US$250.
• The state also recommends a second test between 5 and 14 days after arrival.

Arizona

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Arkansas

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

California

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Florida

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Georgia

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Hawaii

• Requiring more than just your typical negative test result within 72 hours of arrival, Hawaii allows travelers to skip over the 10-day quarantine with a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from a certified lab.
• Results must be uploaded to Hawaii’s Safe Travels form, in addition to filling out a health questionnaire within a day of departure to Hawaii, in order to receive the QR code needing to be presented at the airport.
• If you want to skip quarantine, you need to have the negative test results before leaving to Hawaii
• Fines of up to US$5,000 and a one-year prison sentence could result for non-compliance.
• Up to 25% of travelers will be selected to have a second test at the airport upon arriving without any additional costs.
• The island of Kauai has enforced its own policies starting January 5 where travelers implement a pre and post-travel testing program for those within the hotel “resort bubble.” People still need to test negative within 72 hours, stay within the “resort bubble” for another 72 hours, before testing negative a second time to go outside of this designated area.

Idaho

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Illinois

• Technically, the state of Illinois hasn’t implemented statewide travel restrictions, although Chicago issued an Emergency Travel Order.”
• According to this, travelers coming from an “orange” state must test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arrival or follow through with a 10-day quarantine (or the total duration of their time in Chicago, whichever is shorter according to reports).
• Folks coming from “red” states will need to quarantine for 10 days or throughout their stay in Chicago.

Indiana

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Iowa

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Kansas

• As of March 15, 2020, quarantine needs to happen for anybody coming into Kansas from a cruise ship, river cruise, mass gatherings or events of more than 500 people where there wasn’t social distancing and mask wearing.
• You will need to isolate between 7 and 10 days but can leave early with a negative test result on day 6, then able to leave on day 8 instead of day 11.

Kentucky

• Despite having no formal regulation, Kentucky officials are discouraging travel and recommending 14-day quarantines.

Louisiana

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Maine

• With the exception of New Hampshire and Vermont residents, visitors to Maine can either hunker down for a 10-day quarantine or yield negative test results within 72 hours of arrival.
• Another requirement is a Certificate of Compliance form to verify your negative test results

Maryland

• Like other states, Maryland wants travelers to complete a 10-day quarantine or get tested within 72 hours prior to arrival.
• Maryland authorities also encourage a second test at least 72 hours after arriving into the state.
• States exempted from this mandate include Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.

Massachusetts

• Both a Travel Form and 10-day quarantine will be needed if you’re older than 10 years old and coming to Massachusetts from a high-risk state with 10 or more daily cases per 100,000 people.
• Hawaii is the only exception to these travel restrictions as of January 3.
• Proof of a negative test results can ensure an early end to quarantine but anybody failing to do so could face a fine of US$500 per day of the violation.

Michigan

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Minnesota

• No restrictions as of January 3 but state is discouraging all travel.

Mississippi

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Missouri

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Montana

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Nebraska

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Nevada

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

New Hampshire

• Besides the fellow New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, visitors are expected to self-quarantine for 10 days when arriving.
• Isolation can end early for those who are asymptomatic with a negative PCR test on or after day seven.

New Jersey

• The Garden State advises returning residents and travelers who haven’t been tested or waiting on results to self-quarantine at their home or accommodation for 10 days.
• Only states bordering New Jersey (Connecticut, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania) aren’t advised to do this.
• Officials are also recommending travelers to quarantine for a week even if they got negative results for their COVID-19 test.

New Mexico

• Similar to other states, New Mexico is enforcing a 14-day quarantine for travelers coming from “high-risk” states.
• High-risk is defined as having a positivity rate of 5 percent or more, or a positive test rate exceeding 80 per one million residents, all on a seven-day average.
• All of the USA was deemed high-risk as of December 30, 2020

New York

• If your state doesn’t border New York (all of the USA except Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont), then you’ll need to complete a 10-day quarantine or “test out”
• By test out, this means getting tested within 72 hours of arriving to New York followed by a three-day quarantine and another negative test on day four; quarantine ends with two consecutive negative tests
• Visitors arriving by air need to complete a Traveler Health Form or face up to a US$10,000 fine while travelers with cars, buses and trains can do it online

North Carolina

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

North Dakota

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Ohio

• Although loosely implemented, Ohio “advises” travelers coming from states with positive testing rates of 15 percent or more to self-quarantine for 14 days.
• As of December 30, these include Idaho, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama, and Pennsylvania

Oklahoma

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Oregon

• Oregon issued a joint travel advisory with California and Washington back in December recommending 14-day quarantines.

Pennsylvania

• Whether you’re a resident or traveler, you will need to quarantine for 10 days after returning to Pennsylvania or show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours ahead of time.
• Not complying to these policies made under the Disease Prevention and Control Law could result in a fine of up to US$300.

Rhode Island

• Travelers from state with infection rates higher than 5% either need to hunker down for a 14-day quarantine or show a valid negative test result within 72 hours prior to arrival.
• A certificate of compliance and out-of-state travel screening forms are also required in Rhode Island.

South Carolina

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

South Dakota

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Tennessee

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Texas

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Utah

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Vermont

• Anybody entering Vermont from outside of the state (including residents) either need to commit to a 14-day quarantine or a negative PCR test on or after day 7.
• People entering Vermont in a vehicle can “pre-quarantine” and/or get tested in the state before arrival.
• Out-of-staters staying at any sort of lodging, camp site or short-term rental need to sign a Certificate of Compliance (can be done digitally here) at the time of reservation; you will need to verify that you have done this before checking-in.

Virginia

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Washington

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

West Virginia

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Wisconsin

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.

Wyoming

• No restrictions as of January 3, 2020.