TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to include the state of Louisiana. No new countries have been added and the countries of Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Jersey and The United Kingdom have been removed.
KDHE has also amended its list to include anyone who attends an in-state or out-of-state mass gathering of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance and wear a mask should follow the quarantine guidelines. Previously, the list included out-of-state mass gatherings only. These changes are effective today, Aug. 13.
“Given the increased transmission of the Delta variant across the state, we now consider attendance at mass gatherings in state to be high risk situations,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “The virus does not know the boundaries of our state and we must all must take steps to protect those close to us by staying home after attending any large events.”
- Traveled on or after Aug. 13 to Louisiana.
- Traveled on or after July 29 to Isle of Man or Martinique.
- Traveled on or after July 15 to Fiji.
- Traveled between July 29 – Aug. 13 to Botswana, Cuba or Gibraltar.
- Traveled between July 15 – Aug. 13 to British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Jersey or The United Kingdom.
- Attendance at any out-of-state or in-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 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.