Travel restrictions by state: DC, Maryland and Virginia
A masked passenger is seen seated on a flight from San Francisco, California to Newark, New Jersey on Oct. 27, 2020. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - State leaders have put travel restrictions in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's everything you need to know about traveling in and out of D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
DC Travel Restrictions:
DC Health and Mayor Muriel Bowser have announced updates to travel restrictions for the district that include requiring COVID-19 tests for visitors.
Visitors are asked to get tested for COVID-19 with 72 hours of traveling to D.C. Visitors should not travel to the district if their test is positive or if they are a close contact of a confirmed positive case.
There are several exemptions to the restrictions, which include:
- Visitors from Maryland and Virginia
- People coming to D.C. for essential work (a first test is still required, but these workers may carry out their duties prior to receiving the results of their second test in the district as long as they do not have symptoms or were not a close contact of a positive case within the last 14 days)
- Visitors coming to D.C. for less than 24 hours
- People traveling to D.C. for a family emergency or funeral (a negative test is not required if obtaining one would be impractical, but they must restrict their activities to those related to their emergency)
D.C. residents returning to the district after traveling to any place other than Maryland, Virginia or a low-risk state or country must either:
- Limit daily activities and self-monitor for 14 days upon their return
- Limit daily activities until they get tested for COVID-19 and return a negative result
Mayor Bowser also announced that at-home COVID-19 tests are now available through Labcorp. D.C. residents can pay for a test, use insurance or utilize federal funds to cover the cost of the test. More information on at-home tests can be found here.
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A list of high-risk states that require 14 days of self-quarantine can be found here.
Maryland Travel Restrictions:
The Maryland Department of Health strongly recommends that all Marylanders refrain from nonessential travel outside of Maryland.
Under an advisory put in place, officials recommend the following:
- Any Marylander returning from out-of-state or any out-of-state traveler should either get tested for COVID-19 promptly upon arrival in Maryland or within 72 hours before travel to Maryland. A list of test sites can be found here. Officials encourage out-of-state visitors to be tested within 72 hours prior to arrival and to cancel travel if they receive a positive result. Visitors waiting for their test results should stay at home between the time of their test and their arrival in Maryland or to self-quarantine at their hotel.
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- Any Marylander who travels to a state with a COVID-19 test positivity rate above 10% should get tested and self-quarantine at home until the test result is received. The District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia are exempt from this recommendation. A list of state COVID-19 test positivity rates can be found here.
- Essential workers, as previously referenced in the Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel’s COVID-19-04 Interpretative Guidance, are exempt from the quarantine recommendation if they are returning or traveling to Maryland to perform essential work, as well as employee commuters who leave/enter the state on a daily basis and have work-based COVID-19 screening procedures.
Virginia Travel Restrictions:
The Virginia Department of Health advises all Virginians to stay home as much as possible, especially if your trip is not essential or if you are at higher risk of serious illness.
Virginia does not currently have any quarantine requirements for people arriving in the Commonwealth from other U.S. or international locations, as of October 22. In Virginia, wearing a mask is required for any person 10 years or older while inside public buildings under Governor Ralph Northam's executive order.
Officials recommend the following to decrease the spread of COVID-19:
- Do not travel if you are sick and do not travel with someone else who is sick.
- Do your part to stop the spread by taking everyday steps to keep yourself and others safe and healthy.
- Keep at least 6 feet apart between yourself and others.
- Wear a mask in public places.
- Wash your hands often, stay home if you are sick, and disinfect high-touch surfaces.