Summer vacation just got a lot more complicated.
As we’re packing our bags, Californians are discovering new restrictions – ranging from mandatory testing to self-quarantine – when visiting Alaska, Hawaii, New York, Maine and other popular destinations.
It’s hard to blame them. While our COVID-19 epidemic is surging, they’ve largely tamed theirs – and they plan to keep it that way. We’re not the only state to be dropped off the guest list. They don’t much want residents of Florida, Arizona and other viral hotspots, either.
Truth be told, authorities would be much happier if everyone just stayed home. Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
We shouldn’t even be wandering around our own state, according to Department of Public Health director Dr. Sonia Angell.
“Californians should not travel significant distances,” she said, in a Monday order.
But life happens. Many important springtime gatherings were postponed until summer and fall, when, we assumed, this pesky pandemic would be over. There are kids to drop off at college. Brand new grandchildren to visit.
Before leaving, check your destination’s regulations, which may change quickly. If you need a COVID-19 test, plan way ahead. Due to demand, the Bay Area’s test sites are busy, and asymptomatic travelers are considered low priority. It’s taking longer to get results back.
The rules for each state can be confusing and hard to follow.
Ask Michele Liencres, who is headed to Burlington to deliver her daughter to the University of Vermont next month. The Palo Alto family faces a choice: Without a test, they’re required to quarantine for 14 days once they arrive; if they have proof of a negative test, they must quarantine for seven days.
But because Vermont exempts travelers with negative test results from select counties in New England with low rates of active cases, they’ll go early and self-sequester with her brother in Rhode Island. But that doesn’t mean smooth sailing. Rhode Island requires a test that’s no more than two days old to enter the state without quarantining. Wait, there’s more: Vermont also needs a test that’s less than two days old — so, while in Rhode Island, they’ll need to find a test site that is willing to take out-of-staters.
Suddenly, The Green Mountain State — home of cows, Phish and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — is feeling a lot less laid back.
“It’s intense,” Liencres said. “But I am happy that they are taking it seriously. They are going to keep my daughter safe.”
Martinez resident Steve Gay was looking forward to the annual confab of the Company of Military Historians, a nonprofit that conducts research and helps museums understand wartime artifacts. Canceled in the spring, the conference is now rescheduled for October.
But it’s in New Jersey, a state that requires a 14-day quarantine for travelers from high-risk states like California. So Gay is staying home.
Maybe you’re thinking: What’s so bad about a quarantine in, say, Hawaii? Plenty. Expect mai tais in your hotel room, around the TV. No beaches or pools. No spas, gyms, restaurants or bars. You can’t rent a car. Food must be dropped off at your front door, or through room service.
Violators face steep fines. The city of Chicago, for instance, levies fines of up to $500 per day. Upon your arrival in New York, the Port Authority requires contact information and planned whereabouts.
We’re not welcome overseas, either. Mexico and Canada have closed their land borders to U.S. visitors. Americans are personas non grata in all European Union nations.
“I’m beyond disappointed. I love to travel,” said Adriane Liness of San Lorenzo, whose Canadian cruise was canceled. “But I get it,” she added. “I understand this is for the collective good to keep us all safe.”
Slowly, some other parts of the world are opening up. But, like U.S. states, there are rules. Nations as different as the Bahamas, French Polynesia and the United Arab Emirates all demand recent tests. Cambodia requires a hefty $3,000 deposit to cover any medical costs.
Still aching to go? Here is a summary of requirements in some of the more restrictive states in the U.S. (Some counties or cities have their own rules.) Because rules change, check your destination’s Department of Public Health website before traveling.
Alaska: 14-day quarantine for everyone, unless you’ve been tested within 72 hours of arrival. If your test is up to five days old, you’ll be tested again at the airport, then quarantined until results arrive. A repeat test is required within seven to 14 days.
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey: 14-day quarantine for anyone from a state with a 10% or higher infection rate. (Looking at you, California.)
Hawaii: 14-day quarantine for everyone. Starting Sept. 1, travelers who test negative 72 hours before arrival do not have to quarantine.
Maine: 14-day quarantine except for those tested within 72 hours of arrival, except residents of Vermont and New Hampshire.
Massachusetts: 14-day quarantine, except for travelers from New England, New York and New Jersey.
New Hampshire: 14-day quarantine, except for travelers from New England.
Rhode Island: 14-day quarantine for everyone from California and other states with infection rates above 5%, except for those tested within 72 hours of arrival.
Vermont: 14-day quarantine for everyone except those coming from counties in New England and New York with infection rates below 0.04%.
