Vermont Business Magazine: Governor Phil Scott on Friday announced a welcomed update to the state’s travel quarantine policy(link is external). This change represents an important turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective Tuesday, February 23rd, people who are fully vaccinated and at least 14 days out from their final vaccine dose can travel to and from Vermont without quarantine restrictions. In addition, a fully-vaccinated person who comes in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not be required to quarantine.

Vermont and Non-Vermont Residents

  • Anyone returning or traveling to Vermont must follow Vermont’s mandatory quarantine policy. Vermonters returning from an out-of-state trip must complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test.
  • Effective February 23, 2021: If you have been vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine to travel to Vermont or return to Vermont, as long as at least 14 days have passed since you received your final vaccine dose.
  • The State of Vermont has suspended all social gatherings between multiple households. While in Vermont, you may not participate in social gatherings, this includes sharing an accommodation with another household outside of your own. Travelers may not stay with a Vermont host or stay in a Vermont lodging establishment or short-term rental with another household. Even if you have completed a quarantine, or intend to quarantine with another household, you may not gather with another household in Vermont. (Individuals who live alone may gather with members of their immediate family residing in a different household).
  • Vermonters must remember to follow any travel restrictions and quarantine requirements for the states they plan to visit.
  • Residents of other states must adhere to the quarantine guidelines:
    • Travelers arriving to Vermont in a personal vehicle must complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test in their home state and enter Vermont without further quarantine restrictions.
    • Travelers arriving to Vermont who have not completed a pre-arrival quarantine must complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test in a Vermont lodging establishment or with friends and family (travelers must stay in their quarantine location for the duration of quarantine other than to travel to and from a test site).
    • Read more about quarantining at the Vermont Department of Health website.(link is external)
  • All out of state travelers utilizing lodging, camping and short-term rental properties in Vermont must sign and complete a Certificate of Compliance(link is external) or affirm a compliance statement via a digital check box(link is external) at the time of reservation and check-in to attest that they meet the quarantine requirement or are an essential/authorized worker.
  • All out of state travelers are strongly encouraged to register with Sara Alert(link is external) upon arrival to Vermont to get two weeks of daily reminders to check for common symptoms of COVID-19.

ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

People traveling for essential purposes, including work, do not need to quarantine. Essential travel includes travel for personal safety, medical care, care of others, parental shared custody, for food, beverage or medicine, to attend preK-12 school and college if commuting daily, or to perform work for businesses that are currently allowed to operate. For more information about which businesses may operate and how they may operate, view the Work Safe Guidance(link is external). The current State of Emergency requires employers to use remote work and telework whenever possible to avoid unnecessary work travel. Businesses and employees must only travel for work related trips when absolutely necessary. Individuals engaged in a daily commute to and from their job are expressly exempt from the need to quarantine by Executive Order(link is external).

Persons should not travel to, from, or within Vermont if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms(link is external) or if they meet the criteria for needing to Isolate or Quarantine(link is external).

Visit https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/restart/cross-state-travel to learn more.