BOSTON (WHDH) - Rhode Island has been added to Massachusetts’ new travel order requiring negative coronavirus tests or two-week quarantines for visitors from hotspots, state officials said.
Anyone coming to Massachusetts from Rhode Island or 42 other states either must prove they are COVID-negative or quarantine for 14 days.
‘We all have a responsibility to help keep COVID out of Massachusetts, particularly after everybody worked so hard to drive down the public health trends,” Baker said.
Rhode Island was originally exempt along with the other northeast states bordering the Commonwealth, but state health officials said they are uncomfortable with that state’s recent increase in positive cases.
The order takes effect for Rhode Island on Friday. Massachusetts residents who commute to Rhode Island are exempt.
Those who fail to comply will receive a $500 fine and many Rhode Islanders say they are not willing to take that chance.
“Most people will just get the test,” Rhode Island resident Jon Colafrancesco said. “Quarantining for 2-weeks seems a little harsh. People will go crazy.”
The move is part of a broader administration policy that went into effect at the beginning of the month requiring visitors to Massachusetts from most states to either quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative test result.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)