UPDATE: Effective Friday, August 7, Rhode Island is no longer listed as a lower-risk state.
On August 4, 2020, Governor Charlie Baker announced an update to the August 1st order applying to all travelers entering the Commonwealth, including both out of state residents and Massachusetts residents returning home,
August 1 Travel Order: Effective August 1, 2020, all visitors and Massachusetts residents returning home, including students returning to campuses for the fall semester, must fill out a “Massachusetts Travel Form” and quarantine for 14 days unless they are coming from a COVID-19 lower risk state (see below) or they can produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered no more than 72 hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts, or they are included in one of the other, limited exemptions.
Individuals who get a test must remain in quarantine until they receive their negative test results. Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day.
Travelers are exempt from this requirement if they are coming from a state that has been designated by the Department of Public Health as a lower risk COVID-19 state or fall into another narrow exemption category. Based on current public health data, lower risk states include: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Hawaii.