Baker orders fines for travelers who don’t quarantine in new executive order

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Massachusetts will impose new restrictions on travelers from most of the United States next week, threatening fines of $500 per day for those who do not quarantine or prove they tested negative for COVID-19, the Baker administration announced Friday.

Under Gov. Charlie Baker’s new executive order, anyone entering Massachusetts will need to fill out a form summarizing their travel, then either self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival or submit negative test results for the highly infectious virus no more than 72 hours old.

The new policy that takes effect Aug. 1 is an escalation of a travel advisory that has been in place for months, adding enforcement mechanisms as new infections continue to surge in states outside the northeast.

Individuals who do not follow the mandatory quarantine order could be fined $500 per day, according to a press release from Baker’s office.

Travel from states considered low-risk — defined as having a daily case rate of less than six people per 100,000 and a positive test rate below 5 percent — will be exempt from the quarantine or test policies. As of Friday, eight states are on that list: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii.

Both Massachusetts residents and visitors, including college students heading to campus for the start of their fall semesters, must comply with the new policies.