Rhode Island added to Connecticut’s travel advisory, becoming first neighboring state on list

August 04, 2020 12:00 am • Last Updated: August 04, 2020 12:18 pm

By By Alex Putterman, Tribune Content Agency

Rhode Island was added to Connecticut’s COVID-19 travel advisory list Tuesday, becoming the first neighboring state to qualify.

Travelers who have spent more than 24 hours in a state on the list must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Connecticut under threat of a fine. Those who are unable to quarantine may present proof of a negative test instead.

Connecticut’s updated list includes 34 states plus Puerto Rico, with Delaware and Washington D.C. having been removed since last week.

The travel advisory list, implemented in conjunction with New York and New Jersey, has grown from eight states in mid-June to more than 30 in recent weeks. States are added when they experience an average of 10 new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 residents or when they record a positivity rate of 10% or higher.

Gov. Ned Lamont has said the list will continue to be governed by those metrics, without exceptions for neighboring states.

Though the travel advisory excludes travelers spending less than 24 hours in either a hot spot state or in Connecticut, it’s unclear if that exemption applies to workers repeatedly crossing back and forth. The advisory also exempts those who work in critical infrastructure, such as employees of Electric Boat.

The current list includes:

Alaska

Alabama

Arkansas

Arizona

California

Florida

Georgia

Iowa

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana