ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — As the holiday season gets into full swing, many people are traveling to meet with loved ones across the country.
All states except for California, Connecticut, Hawaii and Kansas have been fully reopened, AARP reports.
Florida currently has no mask mandates, only strong recommendations to use face coverings while in public.
Floridians, however, will want to double-check the local rules if they are traveling to other states that are more restrictive amid the ongoing pandemic. Here is a quick rundown and some things to keep in mind.
Are masks still needed?
In California, the state health department reportedly ordered everyone 2 years and older, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask in indoor public spaces from Dec. 15 until Jan. 15.
Following along, Colorado still requires people 12 years and older who are not fully vaccinated to wear masks in places like health care facilities and prisons, AARP says. Everyone 2 years and older has to wear a mask when using public transportation.
Connecticut extended an order through Feb. 15 requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks inside public spaces.
Also, a mask mandate was reinstated in the District of Columbia effective which started at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will go on until 6 a.m. Jan. 31, AARP explains.
All the way out in Hawaii, there is a statewide mask mandate requiring individuals who are 5 years and older to wear a mask while indoors but not outdoors.
Also, people 5 years and older have to wear a mask when inside public places or at an outdoor event with 500 people or more in Washington.
States like Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico and New York are requiring people 2 years and older to wear a mask in an indoor public space, AARP reports.
Read more about each state here.
Will I need to quarantine?
While the need to quarantine when traveling to most states isn't a thing anymore, there are still a couple to keep in mind.
Currently, Hawaii says any visitors arriving from out of state who are fully-vaccinated don't have to quarantine, AARP explains. On the other hand, visitors who have not received the shots either have to show results of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 72 hours or self-quarantine for 10 days.
Following right behind, Kanas says anyone unvaccinated who attended an out-of-state gathering of more than 500 people while not masked has to quarantine after they return to the state.
Do I need to get tested?
Currently, only certain states are requesting workers, not visitors, to either show proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing, AARP reports.
The states are as follows:
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
Something else to keep in mind? The level of community transmission of the virus in different states.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all states except for Montana and certain territories in the U.S. are deemed as having a high level of community transmission.
This level is based on the number of cases in the last seven days for every 100,000 of the population and the number of positive test results in the last seven days, the CDC explains.
Leaders from the CDC advise people to delay travel until fully-vaccinated and not to go anywhere if they have been exposed to the virus.
For more tips on domestic traveling during the pandemic, click here.