An empty 6th Ave. leading to the Space Needle, as Seattle is shut down amid the COVID-19 crisis.
This story was updated on April 6, 2020 at 5:53 p.m.
On March 29, President Trump extended the nation’s COVID-19 travel guidelines for another four weeks, asking Americans to cut all non-essential travel, avoid gatherings of 10 or more people and maintain social distancing of at least six feet.
But, so far, the federal government has showed no inclination to issue a nationwide travel ban. Even so, nine out of 10 U.S. governors have issued statewide stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders. In states where governors have not issued such mandates, counties and cities have often issued their own orders to stay home.
Last Saturday, President Trump floated the idea of a mandatory enforced two-week quarantine and travel ban for New York, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut, which have been hotspots for COVID-19. The idea was replaced by a CDC domestic travel advisory for those three states.
Many governors around the country have stepped up with their own restrictions to keep residents at home. At the other end of the spectrum, other governors have shown a reluctance to act. The result is a patchwork of policies, often with neighboring states having very different degrees of restriction.
Here’s a state-by-state rundown of the patchwork of current travel restrictions.
Alabama: Governor Kay Ivey issued a statewide shelter-in-place order on April 3. Essential businesses remain open. Restaurants, bars and breweries are limited to takeout or delivery. All public and private beaches are closed.
Alaska: All residents have been ordered to shelter in place. All travelers arriving in Alaska must self-quarantine for 14 days, going directly from the airport to a self-quarantined location. Restaurants and bars are closed for dine-in services.
Arizona: All residents are under a “stay home, stay healthy, stay connected” order. Essential businesses remain open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Arkansas: No additional travel restrictions. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery options.
California: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery options. Essential services — gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, banks, etc. — will remain open.
Colorado: All residents are under a stay-at-home mandate. Essential businesses (including cannabis and liquor stores) remain open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Connecticut: All residents are under a “stay safe, stay home” order. Essential businesses remain open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Delaware: All residents have been ordered to shelter in place. All travelers arriving from out of state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential business remain open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Florida: Governor Ron DeSantis issued a “stay-at-home” order on April 1. Travelers arriving from the greater New York City area or Louisiana must self-isolate for 14 days. Essential business remains open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery services.
Georgia: Governor Brian Kemp issued a statewide stay-at-home order on April 1. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Hawaii: All residents are under a stay-at-home mandate. Travelers entering the state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential business remain open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Idaho: All residents are under an “order to self-isolate.” Residents must work from home; essential businesses are exempt. Restaurants are limited to takeout and delivery options. Bars are closed.
Illinois: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants are limited to takeout and delivery.
Indiana: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery service.
Iowa: The Iowa Board of Medicine has urged Governor Kim Reynolds to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, but so far she has refused to do so. No additional travel restrictions. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Kansas: All residents are under a “stay home” order. Anyone who has traveled from California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York or Washington state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Bars and restaurants can stay open if they preserve a 6-foot distance between customers.
Kentucky: All residents are under a “healthy at home” order. Arriving out-of-state visitors are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses remain open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Louisiana: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses remain open. Restaurants are limited to takeout and delivery options.
Maine: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Arriving out-of-state visitors are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery services.
Maryland: All residents are under a shelter-in-place order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Massachusetts: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Travelers entering the state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Michigan: All residents are under a “stay home, stay safe” executive order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Minnesota: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Mississippi: Governor Tate Reeves issued a statewide stay-at-home order on April 1. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Missouri: Governor Mike Parsons issued a statewide stay-at-home order on April 3. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Montana: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Arriving out-of-state visitors are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Nebraska: No additional travel restrictions but Governor Pete Ricketts has asked residents who have traveled to the Kansas City area to self-quarantine for two weeks. No gathering in groups of more than 10, except in grocery stores. Restaurants and bars are open.
Nevada: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Arriving out-of-state visitors are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses are open. Casinos are closed. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
New Hampshire: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Arriving out-of-state visitors are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
New Jersey: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
New Mexico: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery. No gatherings of five or more people.
New York: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
North Carolina: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
North Dakota: No additional travel restrictions. Travelers arriving from 31 states are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery. Most Native American reservations have imposed curfews or stay-at-home orders.
Ohio: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Oklahoma: Governor Kevin Stitt issued a statewide “safer-at-home” order on April 1. Travelers arriving from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Louisiana or Washington must self-quarantine 14 days. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Oregon: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Pennsylvania: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Rhode Island: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. All arriving travelers are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
South Carolina: Governor Henry McMaster issued a statewide stay-at-home order on April 6. Travelers arriving from “virus hotspots,” including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New Orleans must self-isolate for 14 days. South Carolina hotels and lodgings are prohibited from accepting reservations from guests from the New York Tri-State area. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
South Dakota: No additional travel restrictions. Most businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are open.
Tennessee: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Texas: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Travelers driving across the state line from Louisiana must self-quarantine for 14 days. Air travelers arriving from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, California and Washington state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Utah: All residents are under a “stay home, stay safe” directive. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery. Summit County, which includes Park City, is also under a stay-at-home order.
Vermont: All residents are under a “stay home, stay safe” executive order. All incoming travelers must self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Virginia: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Washington: All residents are under a “stay home, stay safe” executive order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
West Virginia: All residents are under a stay-at-home order. Travelers arriving from “virus hotspots,” including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Louisiana must self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Wisconsin: All residents are under a “safer at home” executive order. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery.
Wyoming: Governor Mark Gordon issued a stay-at-home order on April 3. Travelers coming to Wyoming from out of state are being asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. Essential businesses are open. Restaurants and bars are limited to takeout and delivery. The cities of Jackson and Cheyenne have issued shelter-in-place orders for residents.
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