Connecticut travel advisory adds one state, removes two; Rhode Island still on list

Emily Brindley, Hartford Courant
·2 min read

Connecticut on Tuesday updated the list of states from which travelers must take extra coronavirus precautions, adding Colorado and removing Arizona and Virginia.

Rhode Island, which was added to the list last week, remains on the most recent list.

There are now 34 states and territories on Connecticut’s travel advisory, down from 35 last week.

Connecticut’s travel advisory, which is crafted in conjunction with New Jersey and New York, requires travelers to either self-quarantine for 14 days or test negative for the coronavirus when traveling from hot spot areas. Travelers from hot spots must also fill out a travel form upon arriving in Connecticut.

States and territories are added to the list if they average 10 or more new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, or if they have a positive test rate of 10% or higher over the course of a week.

Although the majority of U.S. states are currently listed on the advisory, Connecticut doesn’t have any restrictions on travelers from other Northeast states — with the lone exception of Rhode Island.

Rhode Island was briefly added to the advisory in early August, although in that case it remained on the advisory for only a week. Connecticut’s neighbor was again added to the advisory on Sept. 22, when its rate of new coronavirus cases per capita just barely climbed above the threshold.

According to data from the Rhode Island Department of Health’s website, the state’s new case average dropped slightly in recent days, but not enough to drop it back below the threshold.

Rhode Island’s presence on a neighboring state’s travel advisory brings additional complications for people travelers and commuters. However, Connecticut’s advisory only applies to those who visited other states for more than 24 hours and are remaining in-state for more than 24 hours, meaning that it does not prevent most workers from traveling across the Rhode Island border.

However, state officials have urged Connecticut residents to avoid traveling across the state border as much as possible, including for beach outings or restaurant visits, and to work from home if feasible.

Last week, when Rhode Island was first re-added to the advisory, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health said the increased case rate was due to aggressive virus testing. However, also last week, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo blamed the increase on outbreaks at two colleges, according to The Boston Globe.

The full list of states and territories on the advisory includes:

Alabama

Alaska

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Guam

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Emily Brindley can be reached at ebrindley@courant.com.

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