New England Travel: Strict Rules In Place For Some Mass. Residents
BOSTON (CBS) - When it comes to vacations, travel experts believe most people will stay close to home, and road trips will be big this summer. But if you are planning a trip to another New England state, be aware each state has different rules and some can be fairly strict.
If you are planning to head to Maine and want to stay in a hotel, you will see some of the toughest restrictions. "They either have to quarantine in the state of Maine for 14 days or they have to go and get a covid test," explained Tina Hewitt-Gordon, general manager of The Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Visitors from Vermont or New Hampshire can visit Maine freely, but for others, including those from Massachusetts, a test is required. That's if you can get a test. "The whole I want to go on vacation excuse doesn't actually meet the requirement of who is going to be getting a test," Hewitt-Gordon said.
Vermont's rules are a bit more complicated. They welcome anyone without restriction if you live in a county with an infection rate of less than 400 per million. For Massachusetts that a means if you live in the Cape & Islands area or Western Massachusetts, you don't need to quarantine. If you are from anywhere else, they want you to quarantine at home for 14 days. That changes if you take public transportation. Anyone arriving by train, plane or bus will be required to quarantine after arriving in Vermont.
Rhode Island and Connecticut require visitors from areas with high infection rates to quarantine on arrival. New Hampshire advises a two-week isolation period for those staying for an extended period of time.
The rules for Maine are scheduled through August, but resort owners are hoping that will change. If the rules are not relaxed, many worry their future could be in trouble.
"It's a huge problem because it's not a viable solution for visitors to the state of Maine because the testing is simply not readily available," Hewitt-Gordon said. "Next year when it's time to make that travel decision. Maybe they are not going to be back to Maine because they were not welcome here this year."
Enforcement is another big question. Maine requires hotel guests to sign a document saying they've been tested, but the resorts we talked to don't require documentation of that test.
