Anyone traveling to Connecticut from 34 states, as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, must now quarantine after the COVID-19 travel quarantine advisory list expanded Tuesday.
Connecticut, New York and New Jersey have added Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico to the growing list of COVID-19 hotspots that require people to quarantine for two weeks or face a fine if they do not comply.
Gov. Ned Lamont, as well as the governors of New York and New Jersey, enacted a quarantine order for travelers at the end of June to help keep infection rates low in the region.
As of last week, COVID-19 travel restrictions were in place for 31 states that required a quarantine, up from 22 states a week earlier after the governor added 10 states and removed one.
Anyone from any of the states in the current quarantine advisory list will have to fill out a health questionnaire and quarantine for 14 days. You can access the form online here.
The new requirement went into effect on Saturday. People who fail to comply with the new requirements could have to pay a $1,000 fine.
Domestic Travel
These are the locations on the list released today:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Puerto Rico
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- Wisconsin
International Travel
The state website says there are no state restrictions on international travel, but the federal government continues to provide international travel recommendations for anyone living inside of the United States. For guidance on international travel, visit the "COVID-19 Travel Recommendations" section of the CDC's website.
Frequently Asked Questions about Connecticut's Travel Policies
(The following information is from the state of Connecticut website)
- How is this going to be enforced? Failure to self-quarantine or complete the Travel Health Form may result in a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation.
- How are the affected states chosen? The advisory applies to any person arriving from a state with a daily positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10 percent or higher test positivity rate for COVID-19 tests over a 7-day rolling average. The list of states is fluid and will be updated weekly.
- Who does the advisory apply to? The requirement to self-quarantine and complete the Travel Health Form is applicable to any traveler who has spent 24 hours or longer in an affected state within 14 days prior to arriving in Connecticut but does not include an individual remaining in Connecticut for less than 24 hours. These requirements are also applicable to Connecticut residents who are returning from a visit to an affected state.
- What does self-quarantine mean? A self-quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. The self-quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. Those in self-quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, and monitor their health.
- Are there any exemptions for essential travel? Yes. Workers traveling from affected states to Connecticut who work in critical infrastructure as designated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, including students in exempt health care professions, are exempted from the self-quarantine requirement when such travel is related to their work in Connecticut. This includes any state, local, and federal officials and employees traveling in their official capacities on government business. If a worker was in an affected state for a reason other than Connecticut-related work (e.g., vacation), that worker must self-quarantine and complete the Travel Health Form.
- How long is the self-quarantine? The advisory requires visitors to Connecticut from affected states to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time they were last in the affected state. If you board a plane in an affected state today, and land in Connecticut today, your 14 days begins today. If you are in Connecticut for a period less than 14 days, you should plan to be in self-quarantine throughout your visit.
- If I am coming to Connecticut to a hotel or bed and breakfast, can I do the quarantine there? Yes. Travelers are required to self-quarantine at their home, or a hotel or other temporary lodging. Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey are all asking hotels to communicate the 14-day self-quarantine requirements to guests who have traveled from one of the affected states.
- Does the self-quarantine requirement also extend to passengers flying to Connecticut on connecting flights that stop in high infection states before arriving in Connecticut? No. The requirement to self-quarantine does not apply to travelers who have a layover in an affected state.
- If I live in Connecticut and have a household member or guest returning from an affected state, do I and other household members who have not traveled to an affected state also need to self-quarantine? Out-of-state visitors from affected states are encouraged to postpone travel. If it is not possible to delay travel, visitors are encouraged to self-quarantine in the home they are returning to in Connecticut. If it is not possible to self-quarantine from other household members, those other household members who did not travel from an affected state are not required to self-quarantine.
- Can travelers be tested for COVID-19 instead of self-quarantine? If a traveler is unable to self-quarantine for the required 14-day period, the self-quarantine requirement will not apply provided that the traveler has (1) had a negative test result for COVID-19 in the 72 hours prior to arriving in Connecticut and (2) provided written proof of such test result to the Commissioner of Public Health via email to: DPH.COVID-Travel@ct.gov or via facsimile to: (860) 326-0529. If a test was obtained in the 72 hours prior to travel but the result is still pending at the time of arrival in Connecticut, such traveler shall remain in self-quarantine in Connecticut until the test result is received and, if such test result is negative, the result is submitted to the Commissioner of Public Health. If the test result is positive and the traveler is asymptomatic, he or she shall self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the test; if symptomatic, he or she should seek medical assistance. Travelers who test positive for COVID-19 prior to traveling to Connecticut should delay such travel and consult with a medical professional.
- Should non-essential travel to affected states be avoided? Yes. Because of the risk of contracting infection, and because of the need to self-quarantine on return, Connecticut residents are urged to avoid travel to the affected states whenever possible.
- If I know someone has traveled to Connecticut from an affected state and is in violation of the self-quarantine rule, is there a channel for reporting this? Anyone wanting to report any violations of the self-quarantine order can either call 211 or email covid19.dph@ct.gov
- If I get fined, is there any way I can dispute of appeal the fine? Any person who receives a notice of civil penalty may, within five business days of the date of the notice of civil penalty, request a hearing before the Commissioner of Public Health to contest the penalty. Such hearing, if requested, will be held within 15 business days of the Commissioner of Public Health’s receipt of the request.
