Coronavirus

New Hampshire, Maine Added to Mass. Travel Order: Here's What to Know

Hawaii and Vermont are the two remaining states that Massachusetts considers low-enough risk for quarantine-free travel

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Massachusetts is now requiring that people arriving in the state from New Hampshire and Maine stay in quarantine for two weeks.

The Department of Public Health announced the addition to the list of high-risk states on Friday as coronavirus cases continue to surge in many parts across the region.

Travelers from states that aren't on the low-risk list must fill out the Massachusetts Travel Form and quarantine for 14 days, according to the state's guidelines. That includes anyone who's coming from one of the low-risk states but stayed "for more than a transitory period of time in the last 14 days" in a higher-risk state.

There are some exemptions, including for people who are going to higher-risk states just to commute or go to school. See the full order, which includes the exemptions, here.

To be included on Massachusetts' list of low-risk states for travel, the state must have fewer than 10 average daily cases per 100,000 people.

Hawaii and Vermont are the two remaining states that Massachusetts considers low-enough risk for quarantine-free travel.

Public health experts say hope is on the horizon, but to get to that place, we need to take the coronavirus very serious now.

Last week, New York, Washington State and Washington, D.C., were removed from the list of low-risk states, adding the quarantine requirement for travelers from those states.

Three weeks ago, Connecticut and New Jersey were taken off Massachusetts' list of low-risk states for travel, days after they'd done the same for Massachusetts. And two weeks ago, California was also removed.

Dr. Mark Siedner, of Massachusetts General Hospital's infectious disease division, warns that traveling during the pandemic could put people at risk of contracting the coronavirus this holiday season.
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