Itching To Travel This Holiday Season? Know Which States Have Imposed Restrictions During Christmas

The favorite time of the year is here and the last thing people want is to spend the holidays locked down at home.

It’s been over a year since the start of the pandemic, forcing the cancellation of year-long wanderlust in its wake. However, it doesn’t feel like Christmas without visiting parent’s home or a road trip with friends to feel like 19 all over again.

With the infection rate peaking in many places, some states have enacted stricter restrictions for incoming travelers, which include a two-week post-travel quarantine or a negative COVID-19 result in case they want to skip the quarantine.

Americans have agonized over the restrictions this Thanksgiving which are only expected to harden around Christmas. The people, who are planning to see their extended family or friends this Christmas, might want to know which states have enacted tighter travel restrictions around that time.

Why U.S. states are enacting travel restrictions?

Winter holidays are just around the corner and the peaking coronavirus cases across the states, hospitalizations, and deaths have prompted authorities to re-impose stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions. If you are rummaging through options where to travel this holiday season, you might want to check what restrictions are in place at your desired destination.

Here is a definitive list of travel regulations across different states during the pandemic situation:

Alaska:

Alaska requires travelers, workers, and non-residents to provide a proof of negative coronavirus test taken no more than 72 hours before departure. People traveling from another state to Alaska can also opt for a COVID-19 test on arrival at the cost of $250. Children are exempted from the testing mandate.

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California:

The regional stay-at-home order is still in place in California amid an uptick in coronavirus cases, typically in areas where higher infection rates and scarcity of ICU beds were recorded. Nonessential travel is not allowed in the state unless the visitor plans to adhere to the 14-day quarantine mandate. The state has imposed a ban on indoor facilities such as dine-in service and on-site restaurants.

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Colorado:

Just like Alaska, travelers headed for Aspen or at any place in Pitkin County are required to complete an online affidavit before traveling and provide proof of negative COVID-19 diagnosis. If the visitors don’t receive their negative coronavirus test before arrival, they must quarantine for 14 days until it arrives. The rules apply to anyone from 10 years of age onward.

For more information, click here.

Connecticut:

Any person traveling from a state with a COVID-19 positivity rate of 10 per 100,000 residents must quarantine on arrival as per the state's mandate. Residents traveling from those states are also required to fill out an online travel health form once they arrive in the state. The restrictions are also applicable to people visiting from countries for which CDC has issued a Level 3 travel health notice.

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Hawaii:

All travelers to the Hawaiian Islands are required to furnish a negative COVID-19 test result in case they want to skip the state’s mandatory 10-day quarantine. Visitors are mandated to complete a form through the state’s Safe Travels site before their departure. Travelers arriving in Kauai, the hotbed of coronavirus cases in the state, will be subject to 10-day quarantine at this time regardless of testing.

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The travel restrictions were tightened between October and December given the rapid rise in coronavirus cases across the U.S. Once a traveler meets the safety standards, they will be allowed into the state and can spend their vacation with their loved ones.