BOSTON – Rhode Island has been removed from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s “lower risk” state list due to increases in both Rhode Islands positive rate and cases per 100,000.
Effective Friday, August 7 visitors from Rhode Island will have to follow DPH travel restrictions, including filling out the state’s travel from.
Failure to comply with the prerequisites could result in a $500 fine.
Without Rhode Island, there are now only seven states on the Massachusetts list that meet the criteria laid out by officials, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont.
Exemptions to the travel order are also allowed for people passing through Massachusetts, commuting across state lines for work, traveling to receive medical treatment, or complying with military orders.
Compliance with the order largely leans on the honor system, according to Governor Charlie Baker.
For more information on the Governor’s new COVID-19 travel order, click here.