2 New England States Removed From Mass. Travel Restriction Exemption List

Two New England states have been removed from Massachusetts' decreasing list of exemptions for travel restrictions.

New Hampshire and Maine are no longer considered "COVID lower-risk" states as New England continues to see a spike in COVID-19 cases, CBS Boston reports. Only two states -- Vermont and Hawaii -- are now left on the exemption list with six days remaining before Thanksgiving 2020.

Individuals returning to Massachusetts from all other states must fill out a travel form and go into a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, or provide a negative COVID-19 test within a 72-hour span of returning. Last week, Maine reinstated travel restrictions for Massachusetts residents entering the state or Maine residents returning from Massachusetts.

New Hampshire has not implemented any travel restrictions for other New England states as of Friday (November 20) afternoon. Any individual that does not comply with Massachusetts' travel restrictions could face a fine of up to $500.

States are considered to be of lower-risk when their daily cases per 100,000 people are below 10 and the positive test rate is lower than 5%, with both being measured as a 7-day rolling average.

Other exemptions from Massachusetts' travel restrictions include transitory travel, individuals commuting for work or school, patients seeking or receiving medical treatment, military personnel and workers providing critical infrastructure services, according to Mass.gov.

Photo: Getty Images