TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to include Maine, 12 counties in Colorado and the countries of Costa Rica, French Guiana, Georgia, Lithuania and the Netherlands. Several states and countries have been removed from the list, including eight Colorado counties. These changes are effective today, May 20.
A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:
- Traveled on or after May 20 to Maine or the Colorado counties of Alamosa, Baca, Costilla, Dolores, Mesa, Mineral, Otero, Prowers, Rio Grande, Saguache, Sedgwick or Yuma.
- Traveled on or after May 20 to the countries of Costa Rica, French Guiana, Georgia, Lithuania or the Netherlands.
- Traveled on or after May 6 to the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Conejos, Crowley, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Larimer or Pueblo.
- Traveled on or after May 6 to the countries of Cabo Verde, India, Maldives or Seychelles.
- Traveled on or after April 22 to Minnesota or the countries of Argentina, Bahrain or Sweden.
- Traveled on or after April 8 to the country of Uruguay.
- Traveled between May 6 to May 20 to the Colorado counties of Bent, City and County of Denver, Chaffee, Lake, Park, Phillips, Rio Blanco or San Juan.
- Traveled between April 22 and May 20 to Croatian, Cyprus or Turkey.
- Traveled between April 8 and May 20 to Pennsylvania.
- Traveled between March 26 and May 20 to Delaware, Michigan or Rhode Island.
- Traveled between March 12 and May 20 to the State of Palestine.
- Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.
- Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.
The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.
For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S. For further information on this and other requirements, visit their website.
For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations) they are not required to quarantine regarding travel if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2- dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine)
- Have remained asymptomatic since the travel
Persons who do not meet both of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.
Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Have evidence of a previous infection supported by a positive PCR or antigen test
- Are within 6 months following infection. If an investigation was done documenting the date that symptoms resolved, or the date isolation measures were discontinued for asymptomatic patients, then the 6-month period can start from that end date. If those dates are not available, then the period will start from the date of the positive laboratory test. A serology or antibody test may not be substituted for a laboratory report of a viral diagnostic test.
- Have remained asymptomatic since the travel
Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.
The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates — approximately 3x higher — are added to the list.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.